Traffic snarl in front of Badambadi bus stand in Cuttack. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, June 2: The state commerce and transport department plans to shift the bus terminus of the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation at Badambadi to Gopalpur across the Kathajodi river.

The new terminus is being planned to provide adequate parking space for vehicles, passenger facilities and reduce traffic jam on Link Road connecting Badambadi bus terminus with NH-5 at Madhupatna.

At present, more than 1,000 buses move in and out of the Badambadi bus stand. Due to space crunch for all the buses, which arrive from various parts of the state and outside, parking along Link Road compounds the traffic congestion.

A transport department official said a 40-acre patch of government land at Gopalpur had been identified to develop the modern bus stand. “The land alienation process has started. The revenue department is expected to clear the process after submission of details on the use of the land for development of the modern bus stand,” regional transport officer Dipti Ranjan Patra told The Telegraph today.

Official sources said that earlier the proposal to transfer the 40-acre revenue department land at Gopalpur in favour of commerce and transport department had been submitted to the Cuttack district administration.

The matter was put up before the revenue divisional commissioner (central) for approval. Subsequently, the commissioner has sought queries from the commerce and transport department on the commercial implications of the proposed bus stand project.

Cuttack district transport manager Amir Patnaik, however, today said: “We are yet to receive from the department any details on the modern bus stand being planned at Gopalpur and plan for the existing bus stand at Badambadi.”

In another development, the chaos persisting on 2-km stretch of Link Road figured in the last month’s meeting of Orissa High Court-constituted traffic management committee for Cuttack city on May 30. The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Cuttack deputy commissioner of police Sanjeev Arora.

The committee decided in favour of filling up sand at a vacant land at the back of Madhupatna police station to develop a temporary parking space for idle buses till minimum infrastructure is provided for it at Gopalpur.