Two days after Punjab local bodies minister Brahm Mohindra laid the foundation stone for the new bus stand in Sector 77 on December 31, the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) has cancelled the site, finding it unviable.
The 14-acre site had been finalised along the Airport Road for the ₹150 crore bus stand project. But now stands cancelled, confirmed a senior GMADA official, privy to the development.
“The site is not viable as a bus stand in Sector 77 will cause traffic gridlocks near the Airport Road. We are looking for an alternative site and will finalise it soon,” the official added.
During the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the bus stand, Brahm Mohindra had said that due to its proximity to Airport Road, passengers would find it more convenient to travel to the Sector-43 Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) in Chandigarh and to other cities from there.
In November last year, Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi had directed GMADA to finalise a new site for the ISBT near Gurdwara Singh Shaheedan in Sohana, where around 14 acres of land is lying vacant. Local MLA Balbir Singh Sidhu and GMADA chief administrator Vipul Ujwal had attended the meeting along with other senior officials.
Mohali already has the region’s first air-conditioned ISBT along the Chandigarh-Kharar highway in Phase 6. Twelve years after its inception, the bus terminal, which also houses a commercial complex, has become partially operational, but the commercial project is stuck in the corporate insolvency resolution process.
{{/usCountry}}Mohali already has the region’s first air-conditioned ISBT along the Chandigarh-Kharar highway in Phase 6. Twelve years after its inception, the bus terminal, which also houses a commercial complex, has become partially operational, but the commercial project is stuck in the corporate insolvency resolution process.
{{/usCountry}}The demand for a new bus stand within the city was made by Sidhu, following which the CM had directed GMADA to finalise the site, said a senior official who was present in the meeting.
When contacted, Sidhu said, “I am not aware of this development, but we will not allow this to happen, as the foundation stone has already been laid for the bus stand. I will take up the matter with the authorities concerned on Monday.”
He said as the Mohali municipal corporation was set to launch a local bus service, a bus stand in the centre of the city was the need of the hour.
“The new bus stand on the Airport Road will be convenient for local commuters as well. The present bus stand weighs heavy on the pockets of passengers, who have to pay additionally to reach it before starting their journey,” he said.