Govt prepares to shift BSRTC buses op to Patliputra ISBT

PATNA: Buses under the Bihar State Road Transport Corporation running from Bankipur bus depot in Gandhi Maidan will soon shift to the new Patliputra Inter-State Bus Terminal at Bariaya Chak on the outskirts of the city amid the growing demands from private transporters to shift plying of government buses from the new terminal, said Patna district magistrate (DM).

According to Patna DM, Chandrashekhar Singh, the urban development department(UDD) had been urged to provide 5 acres of additional land on the southern side of the new bus terminal at Bariaya Chak for accommodating government-run buses.

“We had started relocating the buses from the new terminal, but it had led to problems owing to shortage of space. Now, we have sent a proposal to the UDD for 5 acres of land. The shifting will take place in the next four to six months once the facilities are in place,” Singh said. He said the Bankipore bus depot will also be shifted as land has already been allotted to the tourism department. “Besides, the work of Patna metro is also on for which the relocation has to take place,” he added.

The demand for shifting of government-run buses continues to be a major demand of private transporters, who have shifted their operations from Mithapur bus stand to Patliputra ISBT last year. BSRTC buses run on different routes including to various locations in Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.

“We want the government to shift government-run buses to ISBT at the earliest because it is causing heavy losses to private operators. Passengers going to various locations in the state and outside the state find it convenient to take government buses because they are originating from Gandhi Maidan. Private buses are originating from ISBT which is far off from the city and passengers face problems in reaching there,” said

Uday Shankar Prasad Singh, president of Bihar Motor Transport Federation, the apex body of private transporters. The BMTF chief said that the body had already sent a number of letters to the transport secretary Sanjay Agarwal and the chief minister’s office demanding immediate shifting of government-run buses from Bankipore to ISBT along with other demands. “Right now, only around 15,000 buses are plying as against 35,000 during the pre-pandemic times. The number of trucks operating in the state has come down to 1 lakh from 2 lakh. Government must give up more relaxation in terms of tax concessions,” Singh added.