Yet another plan to upgrade Pirwadhai bus stand

Terminal in pathetic condition with heaps of garbage all around and pavements occupied by vendors

RAWALPINDI:

With taking charge of the Rawalpindi commissioner’s office, every top administrator announces to improve and upgrade the Pirwadhai general bus stand but such announcements are hardly implemented, partly because top administrators hardly get enough time to execute their plans and their transfer orders are issued.

In the last two years, Rawalpindi saw five commissioners with each one of them issuing directives for the up-gradation of the bus stand but without any work being done.

The terminal presents a pathetic look with heaps of garbage all around and passengers’ waiting rooms and pavements occupied by shopkeepers and vendors.

More than 20,000 buses commute from the bus terminal every day carrying hundreds of passengers to and from Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Alipur, Bahawalpur, Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Peshawar, Mardan, Dera Ismail Khan, Lahore, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Gilgit, Chitral, Swat, Skardu, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Last year, the Rawalpindi Metropolitan Corporation (RMC) announced handing over the entire security system of the Pirwadhai General Bus Stand to a private security firm to ensure passengers' safety and property because of the increasing number of theft and robbery incidents.

The private security firm was supposed to install metal detectors, walk-through gates at main locations and closed-circuit cameras to ensure security at the bus stand. A control room was also to be set up to keep an eye on the movement of vehicles and people. However, the project did not see the light of day.

offices of RMC, the same directives to improve the condition of the bus stand have been given. The bus stand is spread over 200-kanal.

Now, Rawalpindi Commissioner and RMC administrator Liaquat Ali Chatta has tasked the RMC to upgrade the bus stand by taking it out of various problems.

The Pirwadhai General Bus Stand, established 45 years ago on 200-kanal, has become a hub of encroachments with poor cleanliness and security arrangements and lack of lighting and decrepit waiting rooms for passengers and filthy public washrooms. Sources said that the commissioner has entrusted the task for the up-gradation of the bus stand to the RMC.

Theft, robbery and other criminal incidents are commonplace at the Pirwadhai general bus stand. The Pirwadhai police station has completely failed to control crimes in and around the general bus stand.

One can find drug addicts, beggars and nomads in waiting rooms and on footpaths and within the bus stand.

The sources said that instructions have been issued to install CCTV cameras, a separate central control room, a new traffic police checkpoint, staff for cleaning passenger rooms and public washrooms and security guards.

Instructions have also been issued to remove encroachments at the earliest.

It has also been directed to repair footpaths in the general bus stand.

It has also been decided to conduct security clearance of all hotels, workshops and other business centres located within the limits of the bus stand.

RMC Officer Infrastructure Raffaqat Hayat visited the bus stand to get the actual picture of the bus stand.

Sources said that RMC Officer Regulation Imran Ali has also been given the task to remove encroachments and submit a report to the commissioner and administrator.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 21^st, 2023.