Dhanbad: Seventy street street vendors from across the district learnt about the intricacies of various schemes of the government including housing provided under the PM Awas Yojna, E Shram Card registration, Rain Basera and others.

A district level conclave and election of town committee of the National Association for Street Vendors of India (NASVI) was held at a hotel during which Chandrashekhar Singh, City Manager of Dhanbad Municipal Corporation (DMC) apprised the gathering about the eligibility criteria as well as the benefits of the schemes meants of economically deprived section of the society, including the street vendors, daily wage earners and others.

Talking to the media, district coordinator of NASVI, Sneham Sinha said, “The participants took keen interest in the schemes."

Singh also intimated the gathering on the benefits of shifting to the newly developed vending zone of Dhanbad Municipal Corporation at Baniahir of Jharia under the National Urban Livelihood Mission.

Talking to media, Singh said, “All the apprehensions of street vendors have no basis at all and rather they will have access to better facilties from their existing place of operation where they face the risk of eviction."

Praduman Choubey

Dhanbad to have Inter State Bus Terminus soon

27Dhan-Interstate bus terminus at Dhanbad Gautam Dey

Dhanbad: The painful experience of Dhanbad passengers with dirt, stink, lack of basic amenities like drinking water facility, urinals and toilets at the existing bus depot will be a thing of the past. The tender for development of a Inter State Bus Terminus at Dhanbad is likely to be issued soon.

Initial draft DPR for the development of ISBT on around 13 acres of land at Panduki Area of Dhanbad near the national highway –2, has been prepared by Karnataka based consultancy firm ‘I Deck private Limited’.

Confirming the development, Executive Engineer of Dhanbad Municipal Corporation, Anup Kumar Samanta said, “We have identified a land near the National Highway -2 for development of ISBT but several formalities are to be completed before we move to the execution of the IBST project”.

As per the initial plan prepared by I Deck Private Limited the ISBT will be developed by a private agency on Public Private Partnership model. Out of 13 acres, four acres of land would be provided to the selected agency which will develop facilities like malls, food outlets, markets etc.

The upcoming ISBT which would be developed on the model of central bus Depot of Vadodara, titled Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Bus Station, will be equipped with an Electronic Scrolling system which provides details of arrival and departure timing of buses to the commuters.

The other facilities at Vadodara Bus Station include, an air conditioned deluxe waiting hall and lounge, dormitories for passengers. Altogether there are 35 bays including 5 for alighting from the buses, 20 for boarding and 10 reserved bays.

Notably, the existing bus depot of Dhanbad spread over a span of around 6 acres at Bartand and is used for parking of over 200 inter district and interstate buses. The remaining 12 acres is used for parking of over 70 city buses of Dhanbad Corporation.

Praduman Choubey