Lack of alternate site delays Sarai Kale Khan ISBT redevelopment

New Delhi: The ambitious redevelopment of the Sarai Kale Khan Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT), one of Delhi’s busiest transport hubs, has hit a roadblock, as the transport department is yet to find a temporary site to shift interstate bus operations during construction

New Delhi: The ambitious redevelopment of the Sarai Kale Khan Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT), one of Delhi’s busiest transport hubs, has hit a roadblock, as the transport department is yet to find a temporary site to shift interstate bus operations during construction.

The detailed redevelopment plan has been ready for more than three months; however, construction cannot commence due to a lack of an alternate site, said an official requesting anonymity. (HT Archive)

According to an official, who did not wish to be named, the detailed redevelopment plan has been ready for more than three months; however, construction cannot commence due to a lack of an alternate site.

The official said the transport department had initially proposed shifting bus operations to vacant land beneath the Namo Bharat station at Sarai Kale Khan. However, the proposal did not receive approval from the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), which cited upcoming multimodal integration works planned around the station.

The department has now approached the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) seeking an alternative site, the official said.

“The redevelopment proposal is complete, and we are ready to move ahead. The only pending issue is identifying a suitable location where interstate bus operations can continue without disrupting services. We have written to the DDA for an alternative arrangement after the earlier proposal could not be taken forward,” said a transport department official.

The Sarai Kale Khan redevelopment has been planned as a transit-oriented project that will integrate interstate buses with the Delhi Metro, Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station and the Namo Bharat network. The project, proposed on nearly 36 acres, is expected to be a commercial and mixed-use development under a public-private partnership model with construction planned for over 24 months.

An NCRTC official said land beneath and around the station is earmarked for infrastructure linked to the multimodal transport hub where work is ongoing.

Meanwhile, Sarai Kale Khan continues to experience heavy congestion, with traffic from Ring Road, Mathura Road, the Barapullah flyover, the DND corridor, and NH-44 converging at the junction.

“It takes me nearly 20 to 25 minutes just to cross the Sarai Kale Khan stretch during office hours. Vehicles coming from all directions merge here, and the congestion barely eases,” said Rahul Sharma, who travels daily between Noida and central Delhi.

Poonam Verma, a resident of Lajpat Nagar who frequently uses interstate buses, said that during peak hours, reaching the ISBT often takes longer than the bus journey itself.

“There are buses, autos, taxis and private vehicles all competing for the same space. Even finding a safe place to get down becomes difficult because traffic hardly moves. The buses also often just wait on the roadside without entering the ISBT, which makes it difficult to spot the buses too,” she said.