After being formally inaugurated in July last year, the Inter State Bus Terminus in Mawlai will finally begin operations by April 1, Transport Minister Dasakhiatbha Lamare told the Assembly today.
The ISBT was opened by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the presence of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Minister G Kishan Reddy and Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh and Chief Minister Conrad Sangma. Eight months on, however, and the facility still is not up and running.
Lamare said that 95 per cent of the process for allotting shops and other amenities on the grounds of the terminus is complete.
The planned date of opening, April 1, was mocked by opposition MLA George Lyngdoh, who moved a cut motion, as it is April Fool’s Day.
The Umroi representative lamented that the employees of the Meghalaya Transport Corporation (MTC) have not received their salaries for three months. Lamare, who has become infamous in the state for his lavish choice of new private vehicle, admitted that the MTC is going through a financial crunch as it is not able to meet all its expenses.
Lyngdoh criticised the MTC for not utilising the land it owns for additional revenue, such as opening space for a parking lot for tourist taxis in Shillong as there is no designated parking space for them at present.
The MLA also complained again about fines imposed by the government on tourist taxi operators, who, he said, delayed paying their permit fees because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Lamare responded that a waiver was given earlier but, even after this, many taxis are finding it difficult to pay for the renewal of their permits. However, he said that his department will work to resolve the issue.
