• Suffering from a stomach upset and caught in a toilet emergency, Kundan Sharma had to rush with his luggage to Ranchi railway station, half a kilometre away, after reaching the capital from Jamshedpur in an AC bus on Friday

• A woman passenger, about to catch a bus for Hazaribagh, fell off a rickshaw into a puddle with her luggage when the three-wheeler lost balance on an uneven bump on Thursday

Welcome to the government bus stand near Main Road Overbridge in Ranchi, where some 30,000 passengers are subjected to similar embarrassment or inconveniences every day in their quest for a comfortable ride on the 50-odd air-conditioned interstate and intrastate buses.

In November last year, the state government in an ambitious move had roped in private operators for cosy and safe coach travel to Jamshedpur, Hazaribagh, Palamau, Giridh, Dhanbad and a few other destinations from the capital city. In return, it had promised passenger amenities, easy permits and subsidies on procurement of buses — a promise that has only remained on paper.

“Normally, I take a flight to Ranchi when I visit my daughter here. If I am coming from Jamshedpur, where relatives live, I take a cab. This time, however, I decided to try the AC coach. My experience at the bus stand in Ranchi has been loathsome to say the least. Let alone eateries or a waiting area, there are no toilets here. How can this place even pass off as an important transit point?” asked Sharma, a banker based in Mumbai.

Interestingly, a couple of months ago, the state transport department began charging an entry fee to the terminus — Rs 150 per trip from every AC coach and Rs 100 from non-AC buses. But, the revenue generated thus hasn’t been put to any evident use.

According to a staff of an AC coach plying between Ranchi and Jamshedpur, both passengers and drivers are at the receiving end in the absence of basic infrastructure and amenities.

“With monsoon, the problems increase manifold. There is no proper approach road and waterlogging is a curse. Mosquitoes are everywhere. Passengers often wade through the inundated road before boarding buses, which makes it difficult for us to maintain the vehicles. There are no sheds and bays either. The list of woes is unending,” he said.
Md Asad Perwez, chairman of Pammi Travels, one of the private operators roped in for Ranchi-Hazaribagh circuit, recalled how they had to rustle up their own resources for electricity at the bus stand when government help didn’t come.
“Before launching our bus service last year, we had requested the Ranchi district administration and state transport department for upgrade. Many rounds of inspections happened, but without any result. Finally, bus owners pooled in money for an entry gate, two ticket counters and electricity. It is a bad state of affairs here,” Perwez said.

Joint transport commissioner Anjani Kumar Dubey said the government bus stand had been transferred to the urban development department. “If I recall correctly, urban development took charge from us two-three months ago. The onus of maintenance and upgrade now lies with that department,” he said.

But then, why is his department charging fees from buses? 

“That is because we are running the fleet under our scheme. As far as maintenance is concerned, we don’t have funds for the same. Once urban development starts upgrade work, we will stop taking entry fees,” Dubey said.

Going by the joint transport commissioner’s statement, the onus of maintaining the bus stand lies with Ranchi Municipal Corporation under the urban development department. 

Mayor Asha Lakra and her deputy Sanjeev Vijayvargiya claimed they were planning a Rs 20-crore makeover for the government bus stand.

“The DPR (detailed project report) is ready, but is yet to be finalised. We envisage a modern bus stand with parking, restaurant and waiting hall among a host of other amenities. Two months ago, a preliminary meeting was held and soon another will be convened with stakeholders soon,” said Lakra.

The catch? There is no deadline.

Will the government bus stand ever see its Rs 20cr makeover? Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com