After the revamp of the national Capital's busiest Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT) at Kashmere Gate, the Sarai Kale Khan ISBT is all set for a major facelift. The four-storey building will be integrated with the Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station and the upcoming Metro station on the Mukundpur to Yamuna Vihar corridor.
Therefore, it will function as a multi-modal transit hub. The bus terminal will be upgraded adhering to the international benchmarks and the facelift exercise will take 20 months to be completed. The project has received all necessary approvals to set rolling.
In a pedestrian-friendly move, a well-planned network of foot-over bridges with travelators, escalators and elevators will allow easy and safe movement of pedestrians between the terminal, metro and railway station. "Among other facilities, it will provide underground bus parking, car parking and designated places for autos, taxis and two-wheelers. In order to avoid conflict between different modes of public transport, the refurbished ISBT will have separate entrances and exits for the buses, autos. The ISBT will be built in an area of 10 hectares," said an official of Delhi Integrated Multi Modal Transit System (DIMTS). According to DIMTS, the design of the new building has been prepared keeping in mind the needs of the differently-abled. "The refurbished building will be developed as a green building, which will protect the health of the public, reduce wastage, increase productivity and of course protect the environment. It will have the provisions for heat, ventilation and air-conditioning system," added the official.
On the security front, the ISBT will be under CCTV camera surveillance and bio-metric system to track any suspicious movements and untoward incidents within the premises. Apart from the main operational area, the revamped building will include a shopping arcade, restaurants as well as a food court to cater to needs of the commuters. The Sarai Kale Khan ISBT was established in 1996 and now caters to about 800 buses and almost 50,000 passengers everyday. DIMTS pegs the redevelopment project to cost 200 crores.