Manoj Sharma
Bathinda, December 6
Deputy Commissioner Shaukat Ahmed Pare discussed the construction of a new bus stand in the city during the meeting today. He sought suggestions from the representatives of the organizations and the officials of the departments regarding the development works. In this meeting, the flats being built by Pudda on Dhobiana Road were also reviewed. The DC said that it is necessary to move the bus stand outside the city to solve the traffic problem of the city and for the complete development of the city. During the two-and-a-half-hour meeting, four different locations for the new bus stand were discussed. These include the Dairy Farm area, Patel Nagar, the Powercom site and the old cement factory site on Malot Road. Meanwhile, the old cement factory site on Malott Road was the most talked about. According to information, the plan for a new bus stand in Bathinda has been going on since the tenure of the Akali-BJP government. The Akalis had earlier made a lot of publicity that a bus stand would be built in Patel Nagar near the cantonment near Bharat Nagar on the Bathinda-Barnala bypass and the foundation stone was also laid. During the Congress government, Bathinda MLA and then Finance Minister Manpreet Badal also promoted the project of new bus stand. Regarding today’s meeting, MLA Jagroop Singh Gill said that the city will soon get a new bus stand. He said that suggestions have been taken from the representatives of all the parties, city dwellers and technical experts during this meeting. He admitted that a consensus is being reached on the Malot Road site and the proposal will soon be sent to the Punjab government. Chairman of Urban Improvement Trust Jatinder Bhalla, Congress district president Rajan Garg, BJP district president Sarup Chand Singla, Akali Dal district president Balkar Singh Brar, AAP’s Sharinder Bittu and AAP spokesperson Neil Garg were present in this meeting.
The existing bus station will continue to operate: DC
The Deputy Commissioner clarified that the existing bus stand will not be closed, rather it will be converted into a local bus stand. Municipal Corporation and PRTC will run local buses for the convenience of city dwellers and general public.