Gurgaon's 1959 bus depot beyond repair, danger to workers, passengers: Staff

GURGAON: Even as Rs 50 lakh has been sanctioned from local MLA's fund for essential repair work at the city's lone bus depot in old Gurgaon, the management and the employees of Haryana Roadways say the structure , built 55 years ago and neglected for decades, is beyond repair.
Instead, they want the government to expedite the construction of the two new bus depots near Rajiv Chowk and at Sector 29.They claim that the bus depot is a shamble and pose threat not only to nearly 1,100 Roadways employees who work there but also to over 45,000 passengers who visit it daily.
According to the general manager of Haryana Roadways, Trilok Chand, the bus depot, workshop area and the GM's office complex were built together in 1959 when Gurgaon was part of Punjab.
"The only two bus depots built then were in Ambala and in Gurgaon. The Ambala depot had been dismantled 15 years ago and a new one was built. However, even 50 years after Haryana came into being in 1966, no structural repairs or major renovation work has been done at the old Gurgaon bus depot," he said.
He added, "Two pillars of the bus stand have already tilted to one side and can fall anytime. The public works department will soon be carrying out a structural audit of the premises as part of a disaster management initiative of the district administration. Hopefully after this effort, the government will take this more seriously."
Chand said Rs 50 lakh is not enough for its repairs. "Putting on plaster and painting the bus stand and associated buildings won't make it safe. They should expedite the process of construction of a new bus depot at the designated spots in Rajiv Chowk and Sector 29, keeping in mind the safety of the 1,100 employees working here and close to 45,000 commuters visiting the depot every day," he said.
The treasurer of the All Haryana Roadways Workers' Union, Vinod Sharma, also echoed similar concerns.
"Almost two years ago, the then government had asked the Haryana Housing Board to construct a bus depot for us and had even made a part payment of Rs 4 crore. However, they returned the money a few months later and since then the project has been shelved. Even this new government has shown no interest. At least for the safety of the public and employees of the HR they should expedite this," Sharma said.