Kangra bus stand : Resentment prevails among people over deteriorating conditions

Ashok Raina
Kangra, Jun 30 – There was strong resentment among the people in general and passengers traveling by buses in particular besides the shopkeepers running their business within the Bus stand, over the deteriorating civic and other conditions in Kangra of Himachal Pradesh.
The Kangra bus stand is the biggest bus stand after Shimla in the hill state.
Joginder Singh, a businessman running his fruit business in the bus stand told that the Kangra bus stand was constructed under Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode and the term of this partnership ended in June last year and there was no new agreement executed.
Shopkeepers running their businesses have stopped paying rent since June 2022.
The bus stand has a weak drainage system and it gets flooded if there is heavy rain during the rainy season leaving passengers and people visiting the bus stand to a dock.
Joginder Singh said that the bus stand plunges into darkness in the evening as there is a shattered light system.
Lakhs of Rupees were spent on multi Halogen lights at the exit point of the bus stand which was not operated even after six years of its installation said another shopkeeper Rimple Choudhary.
Rimple said why the state government was not serious about this bus stand where daily more than one thousand government and private buses make entry.
Lakhs of pilgrims visit the Bajjreshwari temple in Kangra town.
A huge number of pilgrims arrive in the town mostly by buses and alight in this bus stand.
This bus stand is located in the center of different Shaktipeeths that of Jawalamukhi and the famous shrines of Chamunda and Baghlamukhi shrines.
People demanded that the state government should take necessary measures in the interest of the public and passengers.