Dhanbad: The coal capital's only interstate bus terminus looks more like a garbage dump and reeks of ammonia like a dirty toilet, thanks to acute civic apathy.

Bartand terminus, sprawling over 1.5 acres and hosting around 120 inter-district and interstate buses, besides the city fleet, has only four public toilets and two urinals for its 6,000-odd daily passengers, many of whom are compelled to relieve themselves in the open.

And, absence of dustbins and routine cleaning leave the bus stand dotted with mounds of garbage, making life difficult for shopkeepers who under the banner of Bartand Chamber of Commerce and Industry staged protests on several occasions.

Chamber president Kumar Madhurendra Singh said the rotting garbage was triggering illnesses. "There are 220 shops close to the terminus. Most of them complain of mosquito me-nace and many shopkeepers have suffered from vector-bo-rne diseases. Passengers and re-sidents of nearby areas are also at perennial risk of contracting malaria or dengue," he said.

Raju Yadav, a resident of Govindpur who travels 15km daily to work as an accountant at a private firm in Dhanbad, said lack of adequate number of urinalsoilets had made travel difficult for passengers.

"There are two Sulabh lavatories each for men and women, besides the urinals, but these are almost always occupied by shopkeepers, drivers and passers-by. Very few have the luxury of time to wait and use them. So, most males passengers urinate in the open," said Raju.

Chamber president Singh said the 220 shopkeepers had no choice because there were no other community toilet in the area. "Five years ago, a separate lavatory complex had been planned for the bus depot, but the project never took off for reasons not known," he said.

On the garbage issue, ward 20 councillor Ashok Pal said he had brought the issue to the notice of the sanitation wing of the municipal corporation on several occasions, but to no avail.

Mayor Chandrashekhar Agarwal said the proposed toilet complex could not take off owing to lack of NOC from the state transport department.

"But, we have obtained permission for developing a state-of-the-art interstate bus terminus, which will be equipped with general and deluxe toilets, besides facilities such as an ATM, a post office and food plaza. The tender will be floated soon," Agarwal said, adding that the corporation would in the meantime try to address the issue of inadequate urinals.