Chandigarh’s plans to start local bus services from Sec 17 may run into hurdles

The UT transport department’s plans to operate the local bus service from the Sector 17 inter-state bus terminus (ISBT) by June 1 is unlikely to materialise as wholesalers won’t be able to shift the temporary vegetable and fruit market any time soon.

The wholesale market had been temporarily shifted to Sector 17 from Sector 26 in view of the huge number of Covid-19 cases coming from the Bapu Dham Colony in Sector 26. Besides, construction and repair work was also started in Sector 26, which is expected to continue well beyond June 1.

After the transport department resumed its local bus service, it wrote to the Sector 26 market committee to hand over the possession of ISBT by June 1. The transport director, in his letter to the administrator of the market committee and the municipal commissioner, had written, “According to the orders of the UT adviser, the Chandigarh administration has resumed the tricity bus service. We are currently shifting our operations to the Sector 43 bus stand temporarily, with a request to shift the vegetable and fruit market from Sector 17 ISBT to an appropriate place at the earliest so that we are able to start our from there soon. This may be treated as most urgent.”

The letter also stated that requests are pouring in from other states to allow their buses to enter Chandigarh.

Municipal corporation commissioner KK Yadav said, “As maintenance and repair works are currently in progress at the Sector 26 market, and this is expected to go beyond June 1, the ISBT-17 will continue to be used as the temporary vegetable market.”

Meanwhile, the transport department, which had written to different states for their consent to start inter-state bus service, has not received any response.