Fatehgarh Sahib still lacks an ISBT, drivers decide stop as per their wish
Even after 22 years of being a district, Fatehgarh Sahib does not have an Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT).
Even after 22 years of being a district, Fatehgarh Sahib does not have an Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT).
A source from the district administration said that the municipal corporation (MC) had provided four acre land on the GT road near Sirhind for the construction of the ISBT. But, it was not carried out because of "technical glitches".
The HT team, on interacting with passengers, found that residents said that though Fatehgarh Sahib had all the district headquarters, it lacked an ISBT. Passengers also said that a temporary bus stand, decided by bus drivers, had come up. But, there was no telling whether buses would in fact stop there.
Ranbir Singh, a passenger, said that it was an embarrassment for the district that it did not have a dedicated bus stand while Bassi Pathana, a small town within the district, had a big bus terminus with permanent sheds and other facilities.
Currently, the ISBT has nearly 200 buses leaving to destinations within the district as well as to neighbouring states.
Another passenger Harjot Kaur said that the Ropar bus stand at Sirhind seemed like a mere formality as it did not have any other facilities.
Sirhind executive officer Bhushan Aggarwal also said that the Punjab Roadways Transport Corporation (PRTC) had not used the four acre land given by the MC due to technical snags.
Aggarwal added that an alternative spot would be identified to construct the bus stand. However, Fatehgarh Sahib MLA Kuljit Singh Nagra said he had been urging the government to provide an ISBT as many devotees visited the town every year due to its religious importance. He added that in 2012, on government's direction, the MC had provided land for the bus terminus. However, despite that the state and the local administration failed to construct the ISBT.
He further said that he had not been informed of technical glitches faced by the PRTC in constructing the terminus on the allotted land.