5 years on, Nurpur bus stand a non-starter

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Nurpur, February 21

Former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur had laid the foundation stone of an inter-state bus stand-cum-shopping complex at Jassur, near here, on November 19, 2018, but owing to red tape, the construction work has not started even after five years.

The Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) owned land at Jassur near a vegetable market and acquired some additional land from the state Agriculture Department for the construction of the bus stand complex.

The HRTC had forwarded the case for felling over 200 trees growing on the land to the Forest Department, which had awarded a

tender to a contractor a few months ago.

Inquiries reveal that the transport corporation, through the HP City Transport Management Development Authority (HPCTMDA), has proposed its construction in the

public private partnership (PPP) mode.

The detailed project report (DPR) of the proposed bus stand has not been prepared in the past four years. The HPCTMDA is yet to assess its estimated cost, which is likely to be around Rs 50 crore.

Madan Lal Chouhan, Executive Engineer of the HPCTMDA, Shimla, said that the Himachal Pradesh Infrastructure Development Authority (HPIDA) would prepare the drawing and design along with the DPR of the project.

“The HPIDA has floated a tender for hiring a consultant for the project. Once the consultant is hired, it will prepare a DPR,” he added.

Private operators as well as the HRTC park their buses on the Pathankot-Mandi National Highway (NH) near the Jassur-Dhameta chowk, creating traffic congestion.

The construction of a bus stand is a long-pending demand of local traders and commuters as a large number of private and HRTC buses ply to different destinations in Nurpur, Jawali, Indora and Fatehpur subdivisions from Jassur.