The two lifts which were installed for convenience of the public at the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT) in the city at the cost of ₹60 lakh, have been lying defunct since 2012.
The provision for the lifts was made during the renovation of ISBT that cost ₹8 crore in 2005. Though they benefitted the public, especially the senior citizens, for the first few years, the defunct lifts are now a thing of the past with many not even aware about their existence.
80-year-old Sheena, a commuter at the local bus point, said she often travels between Chandigarh and Ludhiana to visit her daughter in UT but had never heard about the lifts at the bus stand. “At this old age, I cannot even climb the stairs. My youngest son who lives with his family in Shimlapuri, always drops me here when I have to go to meet my eldest son in Hambran. I never knew that there were lifts for the public,” she said.
Hitendra who works as a helper in one of the eateries at the local bus stand, said that earlier, the lifts were benefitting the public but have not been put into operation since 2012. “Public and even the staff working at the bus stand were using lifts. Ever since the lifts became non-operational, neither PUNBUS who were in-charge of the bus stand earlier, nor the new contractor put the facilities to use,” he said. The bus stand’s contract was handed over to the private contractor last year.
{{/usCountry}}Hitendra who works as a helper in one of the eateries at the local bus stand, said that earlier, the lifts were benefitting the public but have not been put into operation since 2012. “Public and even the staff working at the bus stand were using lifts. Ever since the lifts became non-operational, neither PUNBUS who were in-charge of the bus stand earlier, nor the new contractor put the facilities to use,” he said. The bus stand’s contract was handed over to the private contractor last year.
{{/usCountry}}‘NO REQUEST RECEIVED FROM PUBLIC’
Manager of LRY Contractor, Ravinder Singh, who currently undertakes the contract operations and maintenance of the ISBT, said lifts are not considered a feasible option for the public. “In the past one and a half years, I have not received a single request to restart the lifts as it takes more time to reach the local bus stand by them against walking. In fact, when we had got the charge of ISBT, we had put the lifts into operation for a week but found cigarettes, empty alcohol bottles and even clothes inside them, ” Ravinder said. He also said, “If we receive a request from the public to start the lifts, we will operationalise them.”