NEW DELHI: If you are planning to catch a bus from the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT) at Kashmiri Gate, then be sure to bring your own snack items, including water bottles. It is not due to some supply chain disruption or quality issues, it is the transport department which has asked the food vendors inside the complex to vacate the premises.
This decision comes as part of a broader initiative to reduce congestion and improve hygiene at the terminal. The police have also removed street vendors operating outside the ISBT, further limiting food options for passengers. As a result, even basic necessities like bottled water will be unavailable on-site.
According to officials, the ISBT is undergoing a makeover and the transport department plans to modernise the food purchasing experience by replacing the convenience shops with vending machines.
This order follows L-G VK Saxena’s instructions given last month concerning the terminal. In September, he directed the officials to do a complete makeover of the complex, starting with making the terminal congestion free. This resulted in the reduction of the average turnaround time of buses from 45 minutes to 29 minutes in August and to 19 minutes currently.
“Food vending machines will soon be installed here, in which packaged food or beverages can be purchased by putting money in them. It is more hygienic and streamlined. The tender process has been started for this by the Delhi Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation (DTIDC). As far as water is concerned, water coolers have been installed at different places inside the ISBT,” said a senior official.
However, the process, from tender to installation of the vending machines, could take at least a few weeks if not a month. And, till that time, it may cause inconvenience to inter-city travellers. A few officials did not welcome the closure order and said more planning should have been done to ease the difficulties the passengers are expected to face.
“At least packaged goods like chips, biscuits and water bottles should be made available to the passengers,” an official said.