Berhampur, Sept. 5: The development authority here has decided to hand over the operation and maintenance of the modern bus terminus at Haldiapadar, 5km from here, to a private operator.

The Berhampur Development Authority (BDA) has floated tender and the process will end on September 22.

"The modern bus terminus at Haldiapadar will be under the control of the BDA. Only its operation and maintenance will be managed by the private operator," said BDA secretary Dipti Mahapatra.

The private operator will be picked up through the tender process and amemorandum of understanding will be signed for 10 years, she said. The private operator will collect parking fees, manage the day-to-day affairs and be responsible for maintenance of the facility.

The BDA has also decided to collect parking fees from the vehicle operators through an online system for the first time in any bus terminus of the state. "We will ask the private operators to follow it," said the BDA secretary.

The urban development department had built the terminus for Rs 12.87 crore. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated it on February 2 and was scheduled to be operational from April. However, it was delayed as the BDA wanted a private party to manage the terminal.

"The modern bus terminus at Haldiapadar will become operational only after a private operator is selected through a tender process," said Mahapatra.

The two-storey building of the five-acre bus terminus complex is equipped with a rest shed for drivers, garage, rest rooms for passengers, taxi stand, parking facilities for buses, community toilets, canteen and ticket counters. The old bus stand near Berhampur Stadium, which had been operating since 1950, closed down on January 1, 2012.