Stubborn decision on site costing government dear
TNR News Network
Dharampur: What was supposed to be a hub for transport and commerce has now become a symbol of failed planning and stubborn politics.
The bus stand at Dharampur in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, constructed perilously close to the Son Khud, has been repeatedly submerged during heavy rainfall, leading to massive financial losses and severe disruptions to local life and business.
Not only has the government earned little to nothing from this project, but it has now lost crores in infrastructure damage — far more than any potential revenue. The latest floods have once again submerged the bus stand, damaged property, and disrupted transportation across the region, says a local trader.
Warnings ignored, now public pays the price
The origin of the problem dates back to 1998 when the proposal to build a bus stand next to the Son Khud was first floated, as per a report published in vernacular media. Despite early resistance from local leaders and warnings about the flood-prone nature of the site, a former minister insisted on the location. In 2009, he even performed a second bhoomi pujan (foundation laying) ceremony and by 2012 the bus stand was operational.
By 2015, the full HRTC staff and fleet had shifted from Sarkaghat to Dharampur — 170 employees and 50 buses. But the bus stand was never safe. Repeated flooding has damaged buses, offices, shops and even settlements around the area. In the 2023 monsoon, damages worth Rs 10 crore were reported. Most recently, during the disaster on June 30, water and mud filled the depot, again leading to substantial loss.
Shifting bus stand a delayed but necessary decision
After mounting pressure, public outrage and a fresh damage report demanded by Chief Secretary Prabod Saxena, the current state government has finally decided to relocate the bus stand to a safer location. The Dharampur depot office will also be shifted and plans to construct a new bus stand on vacant land away from the stream are now underway.
CPM leader and former zila parishad member Bhupender Singh has demanded criminal proceedings against all officials who granted the no-objection certificate (NOC) for the flawed project. He said that had the bus stand not been built there, nearly 100 shops and several homes in the Dalit settlement would not have faced destruction. “This was not a natural disaster but a man-made one, born out of political arrogance,” he said.
