Bhubaneswar ISBT Project Work Gains Pace As Deadline Nears

Bhubaneswar: With the July deadline for the ambitious Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) project in Odisha capital fast approaching, the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) is giving momentum to different construction works.

Sources said the BDA has set a target to complete the work for developing an idle bus parking facility near the project site at Baramunda by mid-June. Owners will be able to park their vehicles there.

Work for the development of roads connecting the ISBT with National Highway-16 is also being accelerated. The existing roads are being widened to provide smooth entry and exit paths for buses using the terminus.

Eviction drives are also being undertaken in the area to clear the encroachments coming in the way of executing the project. In a recent drive, the enforcement squad of BDA cleared the obstructions on the entry and exit routes of the ISBT.

The enforcement teams demolished around 30 sheds, 3 thatched houses, 4 iron gates, 5 polythene sheds, 4 cabins and about 250 feet of boundary wall obstructing the entry and exit paths of the ISBT, according to a senior senior BDA.

The BDA has already worked out the traffic plans for the buses approaching and leaving the ISBT. As per the plan, the buses coming from Cuttack side will use the exit route from Khandagiri Square to reach the ISBT. This will decongest the terminus. The BDA has also decided to run the terminus in public-private partnership mode and a tender for the purpose is in its draft stage.

The BDA has worked out the modalities of the tender which will be floated soon to select the private partner, TOI quoted a senior official as saying.

The Baramunda ISBT, which was planned in 2017, is one of the mega projects in the city. The project has already missed several of its deadlines due to different ground level as well as administrative glitches.