Relocation of tehsil office in Odisha to bus terminus building draws flak

BERHAMPUR: Discontentment is brewing after information of the Kanisi tehsil office being shifted to bus terminus at Haladiapadar came to the fore.Sources said the bus terminus located along the National Highway-16, about five kilometre away from Berhampur, was inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in 2016.

Spread over a five acre land, the decision to build the terminus was made since the city bus stand lacked space for parking and often led to traffic congestion. To overcome the problem, Berhampur Development Authority decided on establishing the bus terminus at Haladiapadar for which work began in 2013.

It has 50 bus bays, a two-storey building with rest room for both passengers and staff, a taxi stand and parking facilities. Sources said the terminus was supposed to be functional immediately after its inauguration but it did not materialise for several reasons including reluctance of bus operators.

They said the presence of the terminus along NH-16 could increase chances of accidents as large vehicles move along the said route. Keeping their concerns in view, an over bridge was constructed on the NH in December last year but despite that, the terminus remained non-functional.

Meanwhile, it has come to light that the terminus has been handed over to Kanisi tehsil for a year. “The old tehsil building was in a dilapidated condition and work of constructing a new building is in the process. The tehsil office will for the time being be operational at the terminus till the new building comes up,” said additional tehsildar of Kanisi Kuldip Kumar.

The decision has, however, triggered resentment among the locals because of the alleged disruption in the services rendered by the tehsil office. “The bus terminus was constructed using public money but could not serve its purpose. The officials and elected representative are answerable for it,” said Congress leader Pitabasa Panda.

Similarly, president of the BJP unit of Ganjam Bibhuti Jena and BJP leader Kanhu Charan Pati criticised the decision. “When building the terminus took around a decade’s time, how can they come up with a new tehsil office within a year?,” they questioned.