Bandipora, Oct 9: The construction of a bus stand in Bandipora district is getting delayed from the last four years due to ‘wrong planning’ of the authorities, locals said.
 According to them, the government allotted 46 kanals of land for the construction of new bus stand immediately after Bandipora got the district status and a foundation stone was also laid by the then Minister, Usman Majeed, but the proposal was allegedly changed by few political leaders, on the pretext that “the land is not feasible for the construction.”
 Locals said the proposal was moved to cater to the increasing rush of traffic in the town and for parking of vehicles. “The government released Rs 3 Crores and the construction was started after inauguration by the then minister, Usman Majeed. First proposal was to construct the bus stand on 80 kanals of land. But the plan was shelved on grounds for purchasing of more land,” they said. They said that, three years back, 46 kanals of land were also acquired for the construction of bus stand.
 “We were happy that the bus stand will be established in Bandipora, but the negative politics has played spoilsport,” Basharat Ahmed of Bandipora said, adding “government should avoid politicizing such issues.”
 The administration purchased the land for construction of bus stand, but the work is yet to start, he added.
 The delay in construction is causing resentment among traders, transporters and public. “We face hardships due to the absence of proper parking space. Most times, the drivers park vehicles in front of shops hampering the movement of customers. We are incurring heavy losses,” said Saleem Ahmed, a trader.
 The residents said that due to non-availability of bus stand, the people had to walk about two kilometers to reach to the temporary bus terminal located in the outskirts of the town.
 Ex-MLA, Usman Majeed said, “I’ll get the project completed very soon.”
 Additional District development Commissioner, Ghulam Muhammad said “the land has been purchased for the construction and the work would be started soon.”

Lastupdate on : Sun, 9 Oct 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 9 Oct 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 10 Oct 2011 00:00:00 IST