Haryana plans to build new ISBT near Dwarka expressway in Sec-36A

The Haryana transport department is planning to build a state-of-the-art interstate bus terminal near the Dwarka Expressway in Gurugram’s Sector 36A to replace the current one in Sector 12, officials aware of the matter said on Tuesday.

The Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) has been directed by the state government to transfer 15 acres of land to the transport department free of cost for the new bus terminal, they added.

The city’s current interstate bus terminal is located on a 13-acre plot and handles 10,000 passengers every day, according to estimates by Haryana roadways officials. However, its main terminal building has been non-functional for the past few years due to its dilapidated condition. Instead, the terminal operates out of a makeshift shed can shelter 100-150 passengers. The drivers and conductors also work from makeshift structures. The repair workshop is also dilapidated, and even the office of the general manager runs from a temporary cabin.

For the new terminal, the department has planned multi-storey centrally air-conditioned buildings with offices and a waiting area for 500-1,000 passengers, along with a shopping mall and food court. However, construction has yet to start on the new terminal because HSIIDC has not identified which 15 acres of land it will give the transport department.

According to officials, the 15 acres intended for the terminal are part of a 145-acre plot in Sector 36A that is earmarked for large scale infrastructure projects. Officials said the plan for those projects has not been finalised, so they do not yet know from which portion of the 145-acre plot they should transfer 15 acres to the transport department.

Pardeep Kumar, Haryana roadways general manager (Gurugram), said HSIIDC had sought clarification from their headquarters on the land demarcation or final layout. “A letter has been sent to HSIIDC headquarters for finalising the layout. We are actively pursuing the matter to get the land transferred as soon as possible after which the terminal’s architectural plan will be prepared for starting construction,” Kumar said.

Arun Kumar Garg, HSIIDC deputy general manager (engineering division), said they have received the approval for handing over 15 acres of land in Sector 36A to the state transport department.

“We have written to our headquarters for preparing the layout of the entire 145-acre area to finalise which portion of land is to be demarcated for the terminal. As soon as the layout is prepared, we will be in position to transfer the land,” Garg said.

Another problem with the current interstate terminal is that it causes massive traffic snarls on the roads of Old Gurugram. The new terminal is expected to reduce traffic congestion around Sadar Bazaar, Bus stand road, New railway road, Old railway road, MG Road, Old Gurugram-Delhi road.

“Once the depot shifts to the new location, it will remove hundreds of auto-rickshaws and other passenger vehicles from the roads of Old Gurugram . The buses will also directly enter the Dwarka Expressway or Central Peripheral Road without needing to travel on any city road,” he added.

More than 400 government and private buses from Haryana and other states operate from the existing depot, which connects Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, among other states.