Mohali bus stand shifted, but pvt operators refuse to leave old site

Akash Ghai

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Tribune News Service

Mohali, May 13 

Though the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) has taken the possession of the site on which the old bus stand was being run illegally at Phase VIII in Mohali, private bus operators continue  operating from near the site, without any interruption from the administration.

Bus drivers park their buses at the open space around the bus stand site. The site is still the starting point and the final destination for a number of private buses. The only difference is that now the buses can be seen parked on roads or at the open space around the old bus stand site.

“We get a number of passengers from here. So what if they (the authorities) have closed down the bus stand? Passengers are still coming here in good numbers,” said Kuljit Singh, a driver of a private bus service. 

Another driver, Davinder Singh, claimed that he made at least five rounds of on the Mohail-Sirhind route in a day. “All passengers to Sirhind come here. Why should we go to some other place,” he said. 

Interestingly, several bus operators misguide the passengers, claiming that the bus stand was closed down for a major renovation. 

Sunita Rani, a daily passenger to Patiala, said she was told by some conductors that the bus stand would start functioning soon as it was being renovated. 

As a number of important institutions like Fortis Hospital, Punjab School Education Board, DPI Office, Punjab Rural Development and Panchayat Department, PUDA and GMADA Bhawan are situated nearby, the number of bus passengers here is definitely very high. 

Though the plying of buses from the site is a big relief for residents of the area, it also causes traffic bottlenecks. 

“The regular bus stand has been constructed away from the town so that there should no nuisance of buses on inside roads. As hundreds of private buses are still plying from Phase VIII, the nuisance is still there. Moreover, drivers of these private buses are notorious for breaking traffic rules,” said Sanjiv Kumar, a local resident. 

When contacted, Mohali Deputy Commissioner Gurpreet Kaur Sapra said she had received complaints of the ongoing bus operations from the area. “I will soon issue instructions to the department concerned to take action  against these bus operators,” said Deputy Commissioner Sapra.