“Around 70 buses, instead of parking at Esplanade, shifted to different termini on Wednesday. They came to Esplanade half-an-hour ahead of their scheduled departures and halted so that goods could be loaded and passengers could board before they left for their destination,” said Esplanade Bus Terminus Operators’ Association secretary Dipu Pandey.
A transport official said once the basic infrastructure was developed for the parking of intra-city buses, the vehicles would drive into Esplanade, stop for passengers to alight and board, and then drive off.
The Calcutta HC’s directive had emphasised the state’s obligation to relocate the bus stand from Esplanade, citing environmental concerns, such as pollution in the Maidan and around Victoria Memorial, as well as the need to decongest the city centre. Transport minister Snehasis Chakraborty on Tuesday convened a meeting with key stakeholders, like private bus operators and senior transport and PWD officials, to chalk out a plan for shifting buses out of Esplanade. Transport secretary Saumitra Mohan and PWD secretary Antara Acharya were present at the meeting.
Around 600 intra-city and inter-city buses either start from or end the trips at the Esplanade terminus every day. A court directive had mandated the relocation of the terminus to decongest the area and reduce pollution. Chakraborty outlined the department’s efforts to identify new sites for parking, including the Santragachhi bus terminus. But adequate infrastructure development was required at Santragachhi to accommodate the large number of buses, said an official.
Chakraborty acknowledged the time-consuming nature of the process and expressed the department’s intention to seek an extension from the HC. The discussions at Tuesday’s meeting included the possibility of private operators introducing shuttle services from Esplanade to ferry passengers to Santragahchi during the transitional period. “PWD engineers will draft a detailed project report for the Santragachhi terminus, providing insights into the timeline for vacating the Esplanade bus stand. Santragachhi can now host around 100 buses only,” said a transport department official.
Exploring additional options, a space, measuring 5,259 sqm adjacent to the KMRC office below an approach way to the second Hooghly bridge, has been earmarked. It can accommodate 60 buses. A spot along Foreshore Road and two locations on Duke Road in Howrah can house 200, 40, and 150 buses. But the Duke Road sites face encroachment.
