Is it an Airport or a star Hotel? No, a Bus stand!

This is not a set from any sci-fi film or futuristic art painting. Not even a latest architecture of a five star hotel in Dubai or Artics.

Hold your breath, neither is it an airport or a five star hotel but a Bus station at Vadodara in Modi's land of Gujarat. Even before he quit Gujarat chief minister's post to become PM, Narendra Modi had inaugurated the bus station which operated 1524 buses per hour and moved 45,000 passengers daily .

Built at a cost of Rs.110 crore with an area of 8 lakh sq. feet, it is managed by a private updater company on a 31-years-lease.

In spite of its grand appearance resembling a five star hotel and a modern airport , the Vadodara bus station hosts a parking space of two floors, 50 deluxe waiting lounges, waiting rooms, besides free trolleys to carry luggage and also clean toilets and bathing rooms. Not to forget a huge food court and a recreation area too.

A major innovative aspect was that all the walls have been transformed into big ad screens with digital clocks, synagogues and fiberglass roofs.

Back home, the RTC and the Andhra Pradesh government has been at the receiving end. Even the Mahtama Gandhi bus stand at Imiliban in Hyderabad and the one at Vijayawada, the only jewels in the crown of the state appear obsolete now. Former chief minister and TDP founder NTR had dared to set up independent bus stations at all district headquarters both for passengers' convenience and also to function as revenue raiser with shops etc.

The Vijayawada station though hailed as the largest in Asia, still lacks basic amenities and sanitation. But after NTR, the successive governments have ignored RTC and were indifferent to its need for modernisation and revenue and capital infusion.