Two years on, five planned bus terminals in Delhi yet to be built

A senior transport official said the government had floated tenders for construction of new bus terminals and modernising the existing ones. The projects were to be commissioned by December, 2019.

In January, 2019, the Delhi government announced it will build at least five new bus terminals in Narela, Dwarka sectors 4 and 12, and Vikaspuri and modernise the three existing ones in Azadpur, Nehru Place and Najafgarh. Over 2.5 years later, even a single one these projects is to take off, with transport minister Kailash Gahlot blaming “bureaucratic hurdles and the Covid-19 pandemic” for the inordinate delay.

Over 2.5 years later, even a single one these projects is to take off, with transport minister Kailash Gahlot blaming “bureaucratic hurdles and the Covid pandemic” for the inordinate delay. (Amal KS/HT file photo)

“Gradually, we are revisiting the files and looking at what can be done to revive these projects. The locations of these terminals were identified after demand assessment in those areas,” Gahlot said.

A senior transport official said the government had floated tenders for construction of new bus terminals and modernising the existing ones. The projects were to be commissioned by December, 2019. “Designs for the eight terminals were finalised in 2019 itself. But the tenders failed; it did not get as many bidders as were required,” said the official, on condition of anonymity.

As per the request for proposal (RFP) document, the terminals were to be built as lively urban spaces where passengers could easily and conveniently access multiple transport modes such as buses, auto-rickhshaws, e-rickshaws and so on, as well as amenities such as food courts, ATMs and mohalla clinics.

The Nehru Place, Azadpur and Najafgarh bus terminals were to have an aerodynamic canopy, held up by tree-like columns. The canopy was designed in a way to serve as a shelter and help in rainwater harvesting, officials said.

The public plaza of the terminal would have space for kiosks, shops, and hawkers with a round-the-clock anchor store. It was planned as a space through which the cash-strapped Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) could also garner some revenue from outdoor signage and digital media integrated into the architecture of the public amenities on site.

Officials said after reassessing the project requirements, fresh tenders are likely to be floated in a month or two.