The tourist season is not at its peak yet,but the traffic situation in the arterial motorable road of Shimla town is already a matter of concern. To stop things from taking a worse turn,the towns administration has decided to shift the Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) from the middle of the town to the Shimla bypass in June. With the ISBT being located on the Cart Road,it creates a major traffic bottleneck due to heavy movement of long-route buses. The situation has worsened in the last seven years because the number of vehicles in the town has also increased exponentially. Opening of the new ISBT at Tutikandi is proposed for June 15. The original date of its commissioning was March 31,2010. The modern ISBT has been planned in such a way that the arrival of the buses will be on the ground floor while the departures will be from the first floor. The five-storey structure will have a mall on the top three levels the first one in the town,bringing the first multiplex to Shimla. Office of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) will also be shifted to the new location. This is the first bus stand,where entry for departure terminals for all destinations will be different. People will not have to walk through the bus lanes any more. There will also be parking facility for about 125 cars, said HRTC Managing Director Bharat Khera. There is,however,is still a question mark whether the parking space for 125 cars is sufficient,given that the upcoming structure will have a mall and a multiplex in the same complex. A plan has been drawn to have connectivity to the ISBT at Tutikandi from most pockets of the town. The present ISBT is proposed to be converted into a local bus stand.
