Jaipur: Four months after inaugurating the Heerapura bus terminal, state govt is still waiting for National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to complete the work on the flyover at Kamala Nehru Nagar crossing on Ajmer highway to start bus services at the terminal.
Meanwhile, residents of colonies adjacent to the Ajmer highway are apprehensive of major traffic snarls on the service roads once the terminal opens.
Officials said though the terminal is ready, traffic police have not given permission to start bus services until the NHAI completes construction of the flyover.
"Until this flyover is completed, buses from the Ajmer side have to come down to the 200-Feet Bypass to make a U-turn to reach the Heerapura bus terminal. In such a scenario, we are apprehending major traffic congestion at the 200-Feet crossing," said DC traffic, Sagar.
In a recent meeting, where officials from the transport department, traffic police, and NHAI were present, NHAI informed that the flyover would be constructed by Nov 15. On Saturday, when Team TOI reached the spot, it seemed that much more time is needed to complete the construction.
"We are trying our best to complete the flyover by Nov 15. It may take a few more days, though," said Ajay Arya, the project director of NHAI.
Locals said that after the completion of the flyover, there are chances of major traffic snarls on service roads of the highway. "Service roads on both sides of the highway are not wide enough to handle the pressure of buses. How will such buses manage to ply on service roads? Traffic congestion is inevitable," said Samir Chand Meena, a local resident.
To add to the problem, the transport department has decided to tweak a few of the existing bus routes of private operators and Jaipur City Transport Services Limited along the 200-Feet Bypass towards the bus terminal. This would provide last-mile connectivity to passengers using this terminal. "We have sent proposals to tweak the routes of at least four to five routes, including route numbers 28, 9, and 31, towards Heerapura. The transport department has unofficially given the green signal," said Prasant Meel from the mini bus association.