On Day 1 in office, transport minister Anil Vij inspects 3 bus stands, suspends Ambala in-charge

Newly appointed transport minister and Ambala Cantt MLA Anil Vij conducted surprise inspections at the bus stands in Ambala, Karnal, and Panipat, hours after assuming office on Monday. The minister also suspended a roadways employee and pulled up several others for alleged discrepancies.

During his visit to the Ambala Cantt bus stand, Vij found several issues, including encroachment by shopkeepers, poor sanitary conditions at the toilets, and suspended Ajeet Singh, the bus stand in-charge.

“There was no space for passengers due to encroachment by shopkeepers, which was obviously carried out in connivance of officials. The toilets were not clean, and I was told there were sewerage problems. I have suspended the bus stand superintendent. I have also told officials to get the quality of food sold at the bus stand checked,” the minister said. He interacted with roadways employees, travelers, and shopkeepers to understand their concerns.

Later, he travelled in a HVAC bus of Haryana Roadways which was headed to Delhi and inspected the Karnal and Panipat bus stands on the way. He gave similar instructions for food quality check and removal of encroachments at both bus stands.

Earlier in the day, Vij inaugurated the state’s first escalator-equipped foot overbridge outside the sub-divisional civil hospital on Ambala-Jagadhri Road in Ambala Cantt. The project, which cost nearly ₹2 crore, has four heavy-duty escalators and is capable of handling over 2,000 people an hour, the minister said, adding that it will benefit thousands of patients and their attendants who visit the hospital daily. However, the event was marred by a minor incident where several attendees, including officials, received minor injuries while using the escalators. At least six people were given first-aid at the hospital.

He said that the escalator was the first gift to locals and over the next five years, the government will continue to bring many more small and large projects for Ambala Cantt residents.

“Ambala residents will have an airport. It will take just a month to implement this project. Machines have been ordered for the operation, and once they arrive, the project will be fully operational for the public,” he added.