The Inter State Bus Terminus located at Purana Bazaar, Dimapur has been operating without the participation of private bus operators at the site for several years. (Morung File Photo)
Dimapur, December 11 (MExN): The Dimapur Ao Youth Organisation (DAYO) has endorsed the Naga Council Dimapur’s (NCD) call for the immediate resumption of public bus services, both day and night, from the Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT), particularly for those operating from the Supermarket bus station.
Expressing appreciation for the NCD’s "firm stand," DAYO noted the urgency of the matter, as the completion of the Road Over Bridge (ROB) on National Highway-29 will miss the ongoing festive season.
In a statement via its Media Cell, the organization pointed out that despite its inauguration over two decades ago, in 2002, the NEC-funded ISBT at Purana Bazaar, Dimapur, constructed on a 7.5-acre site with the capacity to handle more than 200 buses, has never been fully utilised.
Only a few Nagaland State Transport (NST) buses operate from the terminus, it said. In this regard, DAYO criticized successive district administrations for issuing "half-hearted directives and feeble reminders" to private bus operators to ply from the terminus, which have seemingly fallen on deaf ears. Instead of becoming a bustling transport hub, the ISBT is nearly becoming a deserted destination, it added.
However, DAYO emphasized that the recent blacktopping of the half-kilometer road connecting the ISBT to the four-lane highway should now eliminate any further excuses used by vested interests.
Accordingly, DAYO urged the District Administration to heed the NCD's call and extended its full support to tackle immediate logistical challenges.
It also opined that the failure to fully utilize this government-sanctioned infrastructure could be one of the reasons why several central government-funded projects meant for Dimapur have recently been transferred to other districts.
"It is in the interest of the citizens of Nagaland to ensure that the expansion and growth of Dimapur as the commercial centre reaches its deserving stature as the gateway to the state," it added.
