After failing to start the construction work of Punjab’s first air-conditioned inter-state bus terminus (ISBT) in Bathinda, the state government has now decided to renovate the decades-old bus stand in the city.
As state elections are nearing, the government has sanctioned ₹1 crore for the makeover of the dilapidated bus stand. Punjab Roadways Bathinda depot general manager Raman Sharma said the transport department received funds on Saturday and the renovation work has started.
New flooring on 1-lakh square feet, sewerage system and construction of public conveniences blocks are key works to be undertaken. The renovation is expected to be completed by October, said Sharma.
Finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, who represents the Bathinda Urban segment, wants better infrastructure at the existing bus stand as the new ISBT project has not seen any development since the Congress government came to power, said officials not wanting to be named.
Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal laid the foundation stone of the modern ISBT project ahead of the assembly elections in 2016.
Officials attribute the delay in the ambitious ISBT project to the non-approval by the army authorities. “The ISBT project comes under the purview of the Bathinda military station and after it objected to the seven-storey complex, the plan was changed to a four-storey building. It has been more than a year and the Bathinda district administration is still waiting for the approval from the army authorities,” said an official.
{{/usCountry}}Officials attribute the delay in the ambitious ISBT project to the non-approval by the army authorities. “The ISBT project comes under the purview of the Bathinda military station and after it objected to the seven-storey complex, the plan was changed to a four-storey building. It has been more than a year and the Bathinda district administration is still waiting for the approval from the army authorities,” said an official.
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