lakhs of bus passengers can enjoy better amenities such as air conditioned waiting lounge, food court, glass elevator and escalators at the newly renovated Kashmere Gate ISBT. The refurbished bus terminal was thrown open for public use after Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit inaugurated it in Thursday morning in the presence of Union Minister Kapil Sibal. Though the Maharana Pratap ISBT has been redesigned to provide better facilities to the passengers, the original architectural design of the building, which was constructed in 1976, has been retained. The project, which was scheduled to be completed before the Commonwealth Games 2010 in Delhi, cost the Government Rs70 crore.
At present, the city’s busiest Inter State Bus Terminal caters to over two lakh passengers daily and around 2,000 buses from eight States operate from Kashmere Gate ISBT. “I thought when we have a world-class airport, why not have a bus terminal with similar facilities which is used more by the common man,” said Dikshit on the occasion. She added that the refurbished ISBT would prove to be useful to the passengers coming to Delhi from across the country and exhorted the passengers, authorities and all the concerned departments to help maintain the new look of the ISBT. While referring to the new amenities at the refurbished ISBT, Dikshit instructed the transport department to start a hygienic and quality food court at the earliest. While the operational area of the buses was thrown open for the public use, the food court is yet to get functional.
On the occasion, Sibal also praised the Delhi Government for the project and its overall performance. “The renovated ISBT is an example of the development model which is the most suitable and beneficial for our country. ISBT’s historical architecture has been retained and it has been upgraded with modern facilities,” said Sibal adding, “We need to follow a similar development model in other spheres too so that we have a blend of our heritage as well as modern techniques.” Dikshit said steps are being taken to ensure proper maintenance of the facility.