Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday made a surprise visit to Dehradun Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) and took to brooming to express his anguish over the poor facilities and upkeep of the bus terminus. He warned ISBT officials and staff to rectify the ills before his return next time.
The sudden visit by the chief minister caused a flutter in the bus terminus administration as he began inspecting the public facilities and interacting with the passengers. He swiftly moved from one place to another to check cleanliness, passenger amenities, operational system and transport management at the campus.
The chief minister expressed dissatisfaction with the ISBT campus littered with garbage all around. He said negligence at the ISBT would not be tolerated. At this, the chief minister picked up a broom and began cleaning the area himself to send a strong message to officials that their claims to the public amenities fell flat on the ground. He warned them that cleanliness should also be visible on the ground, not on paper.
The chief minister instructed state Transport Department and Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) officials to ensure regular cleaning and sanitation upkeep at the ISBT campus, display cleanliness information boards and ensure an environment free of pollution, garbage, and dust for the passengers.
He asked MDDA Vice Chairman Bansi Dhar Tiwari to prepare an action plan for keeping the ISBT campus clean, sanitised, and orderly and asked Tiwari to implement the action plan immediately for a large number of passengers from across the nation to come to ISBT daily. He took stock of the bus operation system, ticket counters, waiting rooms, drinking water facilities, toilets, local shops, and security and expressed displeasure over lack of proper facilities at the campus.
“Uttarakhand is a major tourism and pilgrimage destination, where millions of tourists and pilgrims visit every year. High standards of cleanliness and facility management systems must be put in place at bus stands, railway stations and transport centers, which must be the state’s priority,” said the chief minister.
The chief minister also climbed up the buses and interacted with the passengers inside. He inquired about their well-being and sought feedback from them. He asked them about the problems they faced during their journey and sought suggestions for improvements of the facilities at the Dehradun ISBT.
Dhami warned the officials, saying all snags at the ISBT must be fully plugged before his next visit, else strict action would be taken against the officers responsible.