Waiting to be abandoned!

• UPSRTC will lose Rs. 18.25 cr annually

Richeek Mishra
Agra. After a long and controversial administrative procedure it was decided to shift the bus stand from Bijlighar to Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) Transport Nagar. Only one week is left for the final shifting of the bus stand. Now ISBT will be the hub for new markets, revenue generation, transporters etc. But what will be the future of Bijlighar bus stand?
The annual turnout of the nearby area of Bijlighar bus stand was about Rs.10-15 cr. The area comprises shops, restaurants, hotels, taxi stands and other business hubs which are lucrative businesses and also hot spots for passengers.
The decision of shifting bus stand from Bijlighar to ISBT is a big loss for Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport (UPSRTC), said State Transport (ST) Regional Manager RM Tiwari. There will be a loss of around Rs. 5 lakh per day after shifting the buses, he added. Passengers will face major problems as there ISBT is not well connected with the city. It is true that we were facing problems in transportation from Bijlighar because of narrow roads and encroachments at roadside but that was a big business center, informed Tiwari. We are not going to shift the workshop from Idgaah as it is a good source of earning. Major diesel pumps are present at Idgaah workshop and this forces ST to divert the buses to Idgaah for refuelling, said Tiwari. The proposed land for workshop near Transport Nagar is a disputed land. It can be bought only when the judicial decision has been taken, he added.
The city is expanding and major development work is being carried out in the outskirts, said Bijlighar bus-stand incharge Raj Kumar Srivastava. Every new project faces problems in its initial stage, he added. There is also a good opportunity for revenue generation from that place as big colonies are being developed there, said Srivastava.
We will face big losses after the shifting of this bus stand, said a sweetmeat shop owner Shyam Bhai Agarwal. The decision taken by the government is apathetic for businessmen present there.
It will affect our business tremendously because after travelling long distances passengers wanted some time to relax and now no passengers will be here after few days, said another shop and restaurant owner Manish Chauhan.
'The decision will not affect my business much as I have purchased a piece of land near ISBT for a shop.It remains to be seen how far this decision will be fruitful, said restaurant owner Ramesh Chandra Gupta. This decision will be a major setback for the small vendors and shop owners, he added.