Additional bus stand serves little purpose

Jaswant Shetra

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 24

The additional bus stand set up by the district administration to ease traffic in the Gill Chowk area has served little purpose. A few buses, which have been diverted to the additional bus stand, have not been coming there to pick and drop passengers.

The additional bus stand has been set up to ease traffic situation precipitated by the collapse of a retaining wall of the Gill Chowk flyover.

The administration has diverted buses plying towards Jalandhar and Delhi to the additional bus stand but most drivers, especially those of private buses, prefer to pick and drop passengers on the Jalandhar bypass.

Passengers travelling from Bathinda and Ferozepur to Jalandhar are a harassed lot as they are not much familiar with the city locations. “I came from Jagraon and had to visit Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar. I was dropped at the main bus stand. But there I was told that I had to board a bus to Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar from the new bus stand. I hired an auto-rickshaw to the new bus stand but there was no bus available for my destination. Finally, someone told me to walk up to the Jalandhar bypass and I will get a bus there. It caused me a lot of harassment,” said Iqbal Singh, an elderly person.

Besides, basic facilities are still not available at the new bus stand. There was no security arrangement at the additional bus stand.

Sources in the Municipal Corporation say it might take between 30 and 45 days or even more to complete flyover repairs. Punjab Roadways Ludhiana General Manager Gursewak Rajpal was not available for comments.

Municipal Commissioner Jaskiran Singh said efforts were on to provide all basic facilities to passengers at the additional bus stand, but it would take some time.