GSRTC move to lease out bus depot land attracts criticism

Barad,in a letter to state Home Minister Amit Shah,has pointed out that the bus depot and the workshop were planned after a prolonged struggle by local residents and that he was vehemently opposed to the move to lease out the land.

Dilipbhai Kataria,the joint convenor of Khambha-based Mahiti Adhikar Nagrik Mandal,said the Khambha taluka,which has 57 villages,did not have a bus depot and that the present bus depot built at a cost of Rs 1.10 crore seven years ago has remained a “service stop till date whereas the workshop has not been started yet”.

“There are four depots at a distance of 35 to 45 km from Khambha and therefore,there is an urgent need to start the depot and workshop here instead of leasing out the land to some business interests with political connections,” he said.

Barad said the new bus station must have some facilities and the workshop land must not be leased out. Officials in the GSRTC here said the move was to centralise the operations and utilise the workshop lying idle for nearly four years.

“There is no need to run a separate depot for repairs when the place is within 100 km of another depot. But the staff connected with this depot is averse to going elsewhere for work and hence the outcry by proxy,” said the official seeking anonymity.

Poor frequency of buses and use of private vehicles by people in the area are also responsible for the present state,he said.