Only CM can solve city bus parking problem

Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan had recently promised to make Nagpur an international city. But it seems that the assurance may take some more time to realise as the city grapples with many problems.

Finding a space for parking city buses and lack of centralised stand are the two major causes of worry for Nagpurians as the Nagpur Municipal Corporation's search since March 27, 2007 continues till date. With the number of Starbuses in the fleet increased to 470, the traffic chaos it causes on the roads could be anybody's guess.

Mayor Archana Dehankar said that "If the chief minister is really serious about what he said, then he should provide four acres of land behind Mor Bhavan for developing the city bus stand. NMC has been making this demand since long." Presently, the land has been reserved under city development plan. Dehankar said that Mor Bhavan stand is not crowded and therefore ideal for smooth handling of the bus service. If the piece of four acres land behind is given, then the parking problem could be solved, she said. However, Panjabrao Krishi Vidyapeeth (PKV) which owns the land has turned down NMC's request. "I hope that the land would be handed over to the civic body for a bus terminal if Chavan addresses the long-pending issue," she said.

Meanwhile, the entire fleet of 240 buses sanctioned under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) has been commissioned. Of these, 180 buses were rotting outside the city for the last 10 months. With the addition of these buses, the strength of city bus service has gone up to 470. This includes 230 Starbuses, 150 big and 80 small, owned by Starbus operator Vansh Nimay Infraprojects Limited.

The addition of buses has helped introduce services on new routes like Pardi-Hingna-Pardi via Ring Road and Hingna-Dighori via Ramna Maroti. Some more routes have also been launched which has benefitted daily commuters. But the latest addition has complicated the traffic problem as there is hardly any space left for bus parking. It has also worsened the trouble citizens face while travelling as buses pass through and halt to pick up passengers, said an NMC official.

Mahesh Morone, executive director of Nagpur Mahanagar Parivahan Limited (NMPL), said that NMC has handed over five acres of temporary land in Jaitala on Hingana Road. Besides this, NMC workshop at Baidynath Square (33,000 sq ft), land near Zero Mile Stone (17,000 sq feet) and Patwardhan Ground (a sufficient place to accommodate over 100 buses) for night parking provide a lot of relief. But the problem of city bus parking could be solved only if PKD land and Mor Bhavan are handed over to the civic body, Morone said.