Dhubri, Sept. 15: Nothing succeeds like success. Buoyed by its turnaround from being a loss-making unit into a highly profitable one, the Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) is tapping alternative sources of revenue. As part of its ongoing revival strategy, the ASTC will develop commercial complexes on its properties in the Lower Assam districts.

According to official sources, a Rs 44-crore multi-storeyed market complex is already under construction at the ASTC bus terminus in Dhubri. Once the new complex is completed, the office of the ASTC will be shifted to the first floor while rooms on the other floors will be let out to entrepreneurs.

Similar complexes are also coming up at Goalpara, Abhayapuri and Dhupdhara while plans and budget estimates have been sanctioned for the construction of yet another multistoreyed complex at the Bongaigaon ASTC bus terminus.

The move is to ensure that the ASTC attains self-sufficiency soon and makes the best use of its existing resources.

President of Dhubri District Truck Owners? Association, Shyam Sundar Saraf, hailed the move and described it as the best example of joint venture between the government and private parties.

?Since a bus terminus is generally located centrally and is one of the busiest localities in a town or a city, it certainly makes good business sense to develop a shopping complex there. A commercial complex at bus terminus will certainly be a great revenue earner for the transport industry. In fact, markets should be constructed at all the bus terminuses under the ASTC. These will not only earn crores of rupees by way of rent, but also give a boost to other industries like tourism and hospitality,? Saraf added.

Ajit Sarma, the ASTC divisional superintendent at Bongaigaon, said the multi-storeyed complexes have been planned in prospective business areas and where ASTC has sufficient space to spare.

?We are making the best use of the land available under the jurisdiction of the ASTC. The motive is two-fold ? the first and foremost is to strengthen the ASTC financially and generate a regular flow of revenue and, secondly, to provide employment to the young educated unemployed,? Sarma said.

He added that beside the upcoming complexes, a petrol pump is being set up on ASTC land in North Salmara in Bongaigaon district.

That the ASTC has got over its turbulent phase under the ruling Congress government can be gauged from the fact that its fleet has increased from four in 2001 to 19 in the eight Lower Assam bus stations. The number of private buses plying under its banner from these stations stand at 122.

Last year, the ASTC earned a profit of Rs 676,686 from its own fleet while Rs 90,341 came from the privately-owned buses plying from Dhubri ASTC bus terminus alone, sources said. ?Things are certainly looking up for the corporation,? an officer said.