Ramp work on at City Bus Terminal at Pokhariput in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 14: The first deadline set for completion of the Pokhariput bus terminal was January 1. As the Bhubaneswar-Puri Transport Services Limited (BPTSL) failed to meet the January deadline, the launch date was fixed on June 30. When BPTSL missed the June date, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) had hoped to inaugurate the facility on August 31, which was observed as Local Self-Government Day. But the terminal is yet to come up.

The BMC was so sure about the August date that it had printed and distributed cards announcing the terminal’s inauguration on Local Self-Government Day. Even mayor Ananta Narayan Jena had told The Telegraph that the terminal would either be ready on Local Self-Government Day or the foundation day of the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), which fell on September 1. That, too, didn’t happen.

The failure to build the terminus has affected the quality of service of city-bus operator, Dream Team Sahara (DTS). Despite the absence of facilities such as main terminal and origin and destination (OD) terminuses, DTS is using 90 buses out of its fleet of 125.

Joint secretary, housing and urban development department and general manager (administration) of BPTSL, Sanjib Kumar Mishra, however, expressed hope that the main terminal would be ready soon. “A few facilities such as power connection for the lights remain to be done, but arrangements including water, a single ramp for washing and a staff room are ready. We hope to make the terminal functional within a month. We will provide facilities such as washing and repairing bays for buses, water and a restroom for the city bus staff,’’ he said.

DTS officials said the plan was to provide three ramps with sheds for both big and small buses at the proposed terminal with washing, tyre-changing and repairing facilities. But the new terminal at Pokhariput is yet to have a proper ramp and the water supply tank is too small. The restroom was not big enough for the field staff, a DTS official added.

“The present city bus terminal at Master Canteen doesn’t have toilet and drinking water facilities. There is huge pressure to add to the present fleet strength, but there are no basic amenities. As the buses are running from early morning till 10pm, there should also be resting facility at Master Canteen depot, but that is not there,’’ complained a senior official of DTS, Gatikrushna Mishra. Five OD terminals are required in Bhubaneswar, one in Cuttack and two in Puri. Buses are supposed to be parked at these terminals after ending a run on a route. At present, they have to either come back to the Master Canteen terminal or be parked on the roadside.

“We were told that the state government has already allotted land to BPTSL. Therefore, construction of OD terminals should start at the earliest,’’ said DTS chairman Nishikanta Mishra.

According to the plan, the exclusive depot-cum-bus terminal at Pokhariput will be spread over 4.5 acres and will accommodate more than 100 buses.