Inaugurated nine months ago, Fazilka bus stand still not operational

The Fazilka bus stand is lying non-functional as it was constructed on the land of municipal council (MC) and the local government department has raised certain objections on it, according to official sources

: Despite its inauguration nine months ago, the bus stand at Fazilka has been lying non-functional due to a long-pending dispute between the municipal council and the transport department.

Inaugurated nine months ago, Fazilka bus stand still not operational

Built with a cost of ₹ 5.50 crores, it was inaugurated by former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi in December 2021. Despite being launched in 2011, the work on the bus stand could only start in 2016 due to lack of funds. Due to change of guard in the state, the then Congress government stopped the construction work in 2017, which resumed in 2019.

“The bus stand is lying non-functional as it was constructed on the land of municipal council (MC) and the local government department has raised certain objections on it,” according to official sources.

During his recent visit to the town, transport minister Lal Jeet Singh Bhullar said that to take political mileage, the then Congress government inaugurated it even though it was incomplete.

“The project has some technical pendencies and the government will complete it soon to make it functional in the wider interest of the general public,” the minister had said.

Himanshu Aggarwal, deputy commissioner, Fazilka, said, “we are trying to coordinate between the municipal council and transport department so that the issue can be sorted as early as possible. The matter has been brought to the attention of senior officials of the transport department too and might be sorted out soon,” he added.

Manoj Tripathi, a local advocate, said, “in the absence of a bus stand, commuters of the district have to suffer and it is high time that authorities take action in this regard.”