Patna to get state-of-art ISBT by July: Suresh Kumar Sharma

PATNA: The swanky interstate bus terminus (ISBT) at Bairiya Chak on Patna-Gaya road would become operational within the next two months, urban development and housing department minister Suresh Kumar Sharma said on Sunday.
The facility, spread over 25 acres of land, is being developed with an estimated expenditure of Rs 300 crore. The state-of-the-art bus terminal has four multi-storey blocks for travel facilities and commercial activities.
Three blocks – arrival (Block A), departure (Block B) and connector between the first two blocks (Block C) – are being given final touches by the construction workers.Work on these three blocks is likely to be completed by June. Block D, which will house commercial building, is likely to be ready by July-end.
“Around 300 workers are working in shifts to complete the project. We are following the Centre’s standard operating procedure while carrying out the construction work,” the minister said, adding the bus terminus would be inaugurated in July.
Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (BUIDCO) managing director Raman Kumar, who recently visited the site, said three blocks are almost ready. “The fourth block will be ready within the next one-and-a-half month. “The electricity connection work will be done in these three blocks by May-end with other utility works. For this, around Rs 12 lakh has already been given to the energy department,” he said.
The ISBT will have facilities like high-speed Wi-Fi, multi-level car parking, waiting lounges and hi-tech security measures.
The ISBT campus will also have other utility structures, such as a dormitory-cum-workshop for drivers, fuel stations and a number of parking bays. The G+2 dormitory will accommodate 100 drivers at a time.
Transport department officials said the ISBT would handle 1,500 buses per day. There are 73 bus bays for departures and 70 for arrivals along with 51 parking bays for idle vehicles.
Three workshops will be there for maintenance, cleaning and servicing of the buses. There will also be separate pick-up and drop zones for private, pre-paid private vehicles, pre-paid autorickshaws, taxis and app-based cabs.