Other States - Orissa

Move to sell bus terminus land resented

CUTTACK: Prominent citizens of Cuttack city under the banner ‘Cuttack Bachao Committee’ have threatened a massive agitation in the city against the alleged decision of the State government to sell about 50 acres of prime land of Badambadi government bus terminus to a private company.

Speaking to reporters here, the committee members have made a serious allegation stating that the Transport Department has completed all formalities to sell the land to Reliance Company by inviting global tender deceitfully. “We have obtained conclusive evidences in this regard”, alleged the committee convener Subash Singh.

Singh pointed out that the bus terminus in the city is the biggest in the State from where over 1,000 passenger buses ply to different locations daily. Hundreds of town buses and nearly 4,000 auto-rickshaws connect different destinations of city, making the place the busiest hub of the State round-the-clock.

The bus stand came up about 30 years ago and keeping the busy traffic in mind, the then government had planned it to accommodate the traffic for next hundred years. “Accordingly, the authorities had earmarked that additional land for the future development of the bus terminus. But instead of making an effort in this regard the present government is planning to sell the land to private parties and that too illegally”, Singh pointed out.

Other members of the Committee also pointed out that due to lack of proper parking space inside the terminus many passenger vehicles are parking on roads making the wide roads narrow for the smooth traffic in the city. Demanding immediate recall of the decision, the Committee members threatened that if their suggestions are not honoured they would be forced to launch a massive agitation in the city in near future.

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