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Mullanpur-Dakha town to finally get a bus stand
Punjab local bodies minister Brahm Mohindra laid the foundation stone for a bus stand; despite having a population of around 20,000, this town did not have a bus stand
In a relief for residents of Mullanpur-Dakha, Punjab local bodies minister Brahm Mohindra on Monday laid the foundation stone for a bus terminal in the town. It will be set up on 7, 000 sq yards at a cost of ₹8.81 crore.
The residents of the town, which has a population of around 20,000, have been demanding the setting up of a bus stand here for the past several decades.
In the absence of a dedicated bus stand, residents, including women and schoolchildren, had no option but to go all the way up to the main Mullanpur Chowk or the Ludhiana-Moga highway to catch a bus.
Sarabjit Kaur, who was waiting at the Mullanpur Chowk to board a bus to Jagraon, said, “We have to come all the way up to the main chowk or the highway to catch a bus. Sometimes, even after waiting for hours, we aren’t able to catch a bus as the bus operators sometimes don’t even stop at this chowk.”
She added that since there is no shed here, people have to stand in the scorching heat while waiting for a bus. “We sometimes take refuge in nearby shops but it is still tiring to stand for hours on. Once a bus stand is set up, we will at least have a seating facility,” she said.
Rajinder Singh, a resident of Mullanpur town, said, “We had been demanding a bus stand for decades. We hope the work is completed quickly.”
Political advisor to the CM and in-charge of Dakha constituency, Captain Sandeep Sandhu said the bus terminal project will be completed in six months. He added that the office of the municipal council will be shifted to the first floor of the three-storeyed bus stand building. Besides, parking, shops, and canteens will also come up here.
Sandhu said, “We selected this site so that buses headed to all four directions, Raikot, Moga, Sidhwan bet and Ludhiana, can be boarded from here. Chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh had promised a bus stand to residents during the 2019 bypoll and now we have fulfilled our promise.”
Former cabinet minister Malkiat Singh Dakha, MLA Kuldeep Singh Vaid, mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu, municipal councillor Mamta Ashu, OSD to CM Punjab Damanjit Singh Mohi, DCC Ludhiana (rural) president Karanjit Singh Soni Galib and others were present during the stone-laying ceremony.
Bus stand dedicated to martyrs:
Sandhu said the bus stand will be dedicated to those, from the town and constituency, who laid down their lives for the country. During the event, one-minute silence was observed to pay tribute to those who died during the farmers’ agitation.
