Buses are back on the road in Action Area III after the authorities promised to redress the grievances of bus operators of the Patharghata bus terminus, opposite Sukhobrishti.  

Residents and those returning from work in New Town had a tough time on Tuesday after buses on six routes were taken off the road all afternoon and evening. The terminus houses about 150 buses on six routes — KB22, KB16, DN2/1, 249B, Shapoorji-Alampur and Shapoorji-no. 58 gate (Howrah). 

The point of contention was denial of permission to the bus staffers to take lunch on the terminal premises. Heated words were exchanged when policemen from New Town police station arrived at lunch time on Tuesday. “They were dirtying the premises,” said officer-in-charge of the thana Atanu Ghoshal.

Cooked food is sent in containers to the terminus from a stall near Gate no. 1 of Shapoorji Pallonji complex. “My eatery is a seven-minute walk away. It saves them time if the food reaches them,” said Bharat Naskar, owner of Nirmal Dhaba. 
Two tea-and-snacks stalls were also evicted last week, the bus operators alleged. 

A rally reached the police station on Tuesday evening where an understanding was reached. “I have been allowed to send food till alternative arrangement is made,” said Naskar.

 “I have communicated to NKDA the need for a shaded place for them to have food,” said OC Ghoshal. 

The operators want a canteen. “Also starter rooms (which registers time for each trip) are there for each route but they have no electricity connection and stay locked up. We have nowhere to place a drinking water pitcher. The toilets are dirty and the taps often run dry. We, bus owners, raise funds to clean them periodically. It is unclear who is in charge of the facility as Hidco claims to have handed it over to NKDA which the latter is denying. We are stuck in the middle,” said Sabuj Chakraborty, secretary of both route 239B bus syndicate and Patharghata Hidco Bus Owners’ Association. 

The association held a meeting with Hidco officials last week and was promised redress but no action has been taken yet.