Though successive State Governments have claimed to have facilitated planned urban development in the State capital, the Dehradun Inter State Bus Terminal (ISBT) touted to be India’s first ISBT on Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis, remains water logged whenever it rains in the State capital.
This problem has been persisting for many years now but both the ISBT management and Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority have failed to take concrete steps for redressing this problem which causes inconvenience to commuters during monsoon.
Diwakar Reddy, finance head of the Ramky Group which is operating the terminal said, “The main problem is external drainage. The MDDA has hired an external agency which has surveyed the roads to tackle the problem of water logging here. A sum of about Rs 10 crore has been approved for the construction of a proper drainage system. Although the problem is persistent, the administration is trying it’s best to deal with the problem. A written proposal has been drafted and is awaiting clearance,” he added.
Commuters faced inconvenience when shin deep water reaches up to the boarding bay platform following rains. The business community at ISBT also suffers from various problems. “The water seeps into our shops due to which our goods are spoiled. We have been facing this problem for many years. When the buses move, they splash water which enters our shops and damages our wares,” said a vendor at ISBT. While the shop keepers also face problems, the bus drivers too face problems.
“Many times the water gets into the engine. During days when there is heavy rainfall, knee- deep water here even enters our buses. There were times when the engine got choked and the bus did not start,” said a bus driver not wanting to be named. The water logging has also resulted in the roads being damaged severely. Pot- holes have emerged at the entrance of the bus terminal.