Dhenkanal, Jan. 3: The much-awaited new bus stand for Dhenkanal will be operational two years from now.

The bus stand, which is going to be located on the outskirts of the town, is expected to handle growing bus traffic better with the existing bus stand in the centre of town groaning under the pressure of accommodating the ever increasing number of buses. Local residents have been demanding a new bus stand for a long time.

According to regional transport officer S.K. Biswal, 156 buses and other passenger vehicles pass through town, through the existing bus stand, to reach various destinations. The resultant traffic congestion has led to problems for residents. “The proposed bus stand at Mahisapat adjacent to National Highway 55 near the town will be constructed under public private partnership,” said the district collector, Girish S.N.

Speaking to The Telegraph, the collector said the new bus stand would be built over three acres while a total of five acres have been allotted by the government for the purpose. A residential and commercial complex would come up on the remaining area.

“With the state government recently granting the land, the decks have been cleared for the construction of the new bus stand,” said Pravat Kumar Jena, secretary of the Dhenkanal Regional Improvement Trust.

The contractor would be given advance possession of the land for construction to begin soon. The lease-related formalities would be completed within six months, he said.

Once the bus stand was ready for operation in two years’ time, the contractor would run it for 15 years. He would then hand over the facility to the state government, Jena added. The total construction cost would be around Rs 1.26 crore. Welcoming the plan, Debabrata Mahanty, a bus operator, said initially there would be a problem of transportation from the new bus stand to the town.

“The district administration has to provide auto and minibuses to ferry people to and from the town to the new bus stand,” he said.

There was heavy rush of buses in the town at present,. It created traffic snarls and the new bus stand on the outskirts of the town was a necessity, he added.