Bhopal: Flouting the orders, private bus operators are bent upon encroaching road instead of operating from the ISBT. Mayor Alok Sharma had directed the private operators to station their busses inside the ISBT, but to no avail, as parked busses continue to congest the road and disrupt the traffic flow.
Throwing the traffic into disarray, the private operators park their busses outside the bus stand and even board and alight passengers on roadsides. Commuters taking up the road are caught up in traffic snarls every day as private busses are being parked on two sides.
As many as 250 buses depart for destinations all over the state daily causing a huge vehicular congestion at the ISBT. Despite several complains of private busses being operated from outside the bus stand, Regional transport office (RTO) has failed to ensure action against the erring operators.
Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials have approached the RTO seeking action against the errant operators but no steps have been taken in this direction so far.
The buses from across the state arrive at ISBT and their parking is a big issue as we have got our two-wheeler and four wheeler parking stands here, said an official of the BMC. Motorist at our parking stands have to wait for long as private busses occupy the area making difficult to move, he added.
Looking for passengers, the bus operators, keep their vehicles parked on the road and avoid going inside the bus stand. The bus stand was shifted from Nadra to ISBT in 2011. The bus operators are arriving early at ISBT than the destined time they used to reach Narda. To kill the time, the bus drivers keep moving near the ISBT or park their vehicle on roadside before going to the stand on the arrival time.
