Chaos runs supreme at Mohali ISBT

Kulwinder Sangha

Mohali, December 19

Even as more buses have started to roll in at Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Inter-State Bus Terminal here and the number of passengers is rising, chaotic conditions still prevail.

The ISBT, inaugurated by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on December 16, began functioning the next day.

Passengers felt harassed today as they did not know from which slot they could board buses for their destinations and the arrival time of buses. Some buses that were full merely crossed the new bus stand without stopping at all. There were no ticket counters and the screens put up for public information were also not functional. The ATM facility was yet to be introduced.

Jaspreet Kaur, who had to go to Patiala to appear for an examination, said she did not know from which slot her bus would leave and at what time. She said she had been waiting for half an hour and might get late for the examination.

Fleecing by auto-rickshaw drivers

Passengers coming and leaving the ISBT are also being fleeced by auto-rickshaw drivers as no local bus services to the area are available at present.

Traffic congestion was noticed on the national highway from where buses entered the bus stand. It was learnt that traffic police personnel had also been deployed to ensure that all buses entered the ISBT.

One was greeted by a lot of noise on entering the building today. Soon one realised that some conductors were yelling out the names of their bus destinations, common at old-fashioned bus stands, to attract passengers. The atmosphere seemed to be a mismatch with the swanky busopolis.

Illegal pick-up points of private buses

A Punjab Roadways official said the number of passengers at the new ISBT would rise only when the unauthorised pick-up points started by private bus operators were prohibited. He said private buses came to the bus stand and left after getting the entry slip. The operators later picked up passengers from different locations in Mohali. Such a practice also suited passengers because of the convenience it entailed. 

On the other hand, the old bus stand in Phase VIII  presented a desolate scene today as no bus operated from there. Some passengers, who were unaware of the new bus stand,  reached the old one. Tejinder Singh, an auto-rickshaw driver who happened to be there, said a few auto-rickshaws still plied from Phase VIII and dropped passengers at the ISBT. 

Col CVS Sehgal (retd), Chief General Manager (Commercial), C&C Constructions Ltd, said making the ticket counters functional and displaying the required information about the bus slots and routes on the screens was the job of the state Transport Department. Furniture and space had been provided by the company. The ATM facility would be introduced shortly, he added.