Hamirpur: ISBT project picks up pace, to be completed in 18 months

Hamirpur, February 20

The highly-awaited Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) project has finally seen movement as the Public Works Department has awarded the work to a construction company, KD Niraash of Sundernagar.

Slow motion movement since 2011

• The ISBT was proposed by former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal during his second term in 2011
• The existing bus stand was constructed in 1977, during the Janta Party regime, when Thakur Jagdev Chand was the Cabinet Minister and the MLA from here
• Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu during his first visit had assured that the ISBT would be constructed at the earliest.
• The project has picked up pace as the Public Works Department has finally awarded the work to construction company KD Niraash of Sundernagar.
• The government has sanctioned overRs 56 crore for the state-of the-art project
• A six-floor building — two floors for parking, two floors as bus bays and two for public utilities and the Transport Department office — would be constructed

The construction company started clearing the identified site near here today. The ISBT was proposed by former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal during his second term in 2011 and the foundation was laid on land measuring 72 kanals (27,648 sq mt). Over 700 trees were axed to clear the land, but thereafter little headway was made towards commencing the project.

The existing bus stand was constructed in 1977, during the Janta Party regime, when Thakur Jagdev Chand was the Cabinet Minister and the MLA from here. Nearly 47 years on, the bus stand is not sufficient to handle the increased traffic.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu during his first visit had assured that the ISBT would be constructed at the earliest. As no players turned to construct the bus stand in the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode, the government sanctioned over Rs 56 crore for it.

Deepak Kapil, Executive Engineer (PWD), said a state-of-the-art bus stand would be constructed here. He said that a six-floor building — two floors for parking, two floors as bus bays and two for public utilities and the Transport Department office — would be constructed. The construction would be completed in 18 months, he added.