Condition of toilets at the handicapped friendly Inter State Bus Terminal in Ludhiana, where new tactile flooring has been added

Ludhiana: While attractive new Braille signs adorn the walls of the city’s major bus terminal, vulnerable passengers are facing closed doors and unusable facilities due to the collapse of local hygiene standards.After a few months, the district administration declared Ludhiana as Inter State Bus Terminal (ISBT). PunjabThe first “disabled-friendly” transport hub with tactile flooring and signage to assist visually impaired passengers, an on-ground inspection reveals a glaring contradiction between these new features and the overall rot.Broken infrastructure, closed doorsThe most serious failures are inside designated accessible toilets. Many toilets meant for disabled passengers were found locked, while other toilets were inaccessible due to broken doors. An open toilet was completely unusable due to a broken commode flap and severe filth.General cleanliness throughout the terminal has also collapsed. Garbage is piled up near the boundary wall, and a large pile of uncollected garbage lies beneath the flyover connecting the local and main terminal sections.“These conditions are depressing,” said visitor Ravi Bhatia. He said that the premium waiting hall for air-conditioned bus passengers also remains permanently closed. “Overall maintenance is very poor.”Passengers Slam Fee StructureThe lack of maintenance has sparked outrage among passengers, who are charged ₹5 to use the terminal’s convenience facilities.“In Mumbai, public toilets at transport hubs are clean, air-conditioned and free to use,” said an interstate traveller. “Here, they also charge money for using the urinals, but the condition of the toilets is pathetic.”A daily commuter to nearby Chandigarh expressed disappointment, saying that if the authorities impose user charges, they will have to guarantee basic cleanliness and repair of infrastructure.Privatization on the horizonReacting to the failures, general manager of state-run PUNBUS Ludhiana Depot Navraj Batish confirmed that the government was trying to shut down the operations of the facility.Batish said: “The authorities are in advanced talks with a private firm under the public-private partnership model. Once the contract is completed, the management, repairs and daily maintenance of the terminal will be handed over to the private entity.”