New civic facilities come up at Sakchi bus terminus

Jamshedpur : Passenger�s woes at Sakchi bus terminus, have come to end with the commencement of new civic amenities.

A public toilet and a boundary wall of the over 8,000 sq ft depot have come at the bus stand. Tata Steel subsidiary, Jusco that looks after civic needs in company command areas has set up the facilities.

The toilets (separate for male and female) will also provide welcome relief to the elderly and women passengers.

Ever since the bus depot was handed over by Jusco for operation of private town bus services in 2004 it was devoid of public toilets causing untold misery for passengers. The boundary wall has been built at an expense of nearly Rs 2 lakh while the toilets has been constructed at a cost of Rs 1.75 lakh.

JUSCO had handed over the plot, complete with a boundary and single water connection, to the East Singhbhum administration in 2004. No repair work has been undertaken since. The bus association, on its own, arranged for two taps and a water cooler later, a passengers shed was constructed by the former MP Ajoy Kumar from his MP fund late last year.

Lack of basic amenities at the main hub of one of the most popular public transport systems was a major concern.
The 8,000sqft depot, which houses a private fleet of 120 that run on 14 routes across the city, witnesses a daily footfall of more than 1.5 lakh commuters. Among them, at least 40 per cent are women who bear the worst brunt of the amenities crunch and security gap.

Shikshit Berozgar Mini-Bus Association, had written letters to both Tata Steel subsidiary Jusco and Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee (JNAC), but no action was taken. Record shows that Jusco had handed over the plot, complete with a boundary and single water connection, to the East Singhbhum administration in 2004.

No repair work was been undertaken since. The bus association, on its own, arranged for two taps and a water cooler later, but sheds and toilets remain elusive. However, JUSCO took the initiative to construct new facilities.