Bhopal Bureau
Summary: Blocking the passenger corridor at Bhopal’s Kushabhau Thakre Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) has cost a chartered bus booking office Rs 5,000. During an early-morning inspection on Sunday, the Bhopal Municipal Corporation’s health wing collected the spot fine and got the goods blocking the corridor removed. Municipal Commissioner Ramprakash Ahirwar also ordered idle buses to be removed from the terminal, halt times for operating buses to be limited, and encroachments to be cleared.
What the 6 am inspection found
Since taking charge of the municipal corporation, Commissioner Ramprakash Ahirwar has been stepping out into the city to review cleanliness, encroachments and civic amenities, issuing directions on the spot. On Sunday, 1 November 2026, he reached the ISBT at around 6 am, accompanied by Additional Commissioner Aman Mishra and Deputy Commissioners Bhuvan Gupta and Chanchalesh Girhare.
The inspection found that bus operators and shopkeepers had spread goods across the corridor, obstructing the movement of passengers. Some buses had also been parked inside the terminal for a long time, even though the terminal is meant for picking up and dropping passengers, not for parking buses or using the premises like a garage. The commissioner directed officials on the spot to set the arrangements right.
Rs 5,000 fine and goods removed
For keeping goods in the corridor, the corporation’s health wing imposed a spot fine of Rs 5,000 on the operator of a chartered bus booking office. Along with collecting the fine, the goods kept in the corridor were removed so that the passage for passengers was fully clear.
The commissioner directed that spot fines be imposed on bus operators and establishments that obstruct public movement or spread litter. The action is also being seen as a message that violations of rules inside the terminal will invite immediate action.
Strict orders on idle buses and encroachments
During the inspection, the commissioner ordered that non-operational buses be removed from the terminal premises. Operating buses, he said, will be allowed to halt only for the prescribed duration. Once passengers have boarded or alighted, buses will have to vacate the premises.
He also ordered encroachments inside and around the ISBT to be removed, cleanliness to be improved, and bicycles provided under the Smart City initiative to be arranged in an orderly manner. Officials were told clearly that the terminal cannot be allowed to turn into a parking lot or a garage.
New Market and firecracker market inspected
After the ISBT, the commissioner also inspected the New Market area. With Diwali approaching, crowds in markets rise sharply, and he asked for the yellow-line marking work, which fixes the limits of shops, to be completed soon. The idea is that shopkeepers keep their goods within the marked limits so that roads and footpaths in the market stay open for shoppers and pedestrians.
The firecracker market in the Lily Talkies area was also inspected during the same visit. Safety arrangements carry special importance at firecracker markets during the festival season, and directions were given for the round-the-clock deployment of fire personnel. Officials were asked to ensure cleanliness and orderly movement in the market area.
The fire a week earlier and the action that followed
The tough stance at the ISBT comes about a week after a fire at the terminal brought its safety and management arrangements into focus. Eight buses were caught in the fire. Following that incident, the municipal corporation removed 16 idle buses from the premises and collected fines of Rs 10,000 each on two buses.
Since that incident, the corporation has been emphasising that there should be no pile-up of long-parked buses inside the terminal. Sunday’s inspection is being seen as the next step in the same drive. Officials point out that while there is space for 84 buses at a time inside the ISBT, that does not mean buses can remain parked there indefinitely.
Festival rush and passenger convenience
Diwali will be celebrated on 8 November, and passenger movement at bus terminals rises sharply before the festival as people travel to their home towns and to relatives. In such a situation, a blocked corridor, dirt and disorder directly add to passengers’ troubles.
The corporation’s action aims to give passengers a safe, clean and orderly terminal during the festival season. A clear corridor will particularly help elderly passengers, women and families travelling with children. Limiting bus halts to the prescribed duration should also reduce congestion inside the terminal.
What happens next
Following the commissioner’s directions, regular monitoring and action at the ISBT are expected to continue. The work of removing idle buses, clearing encroachments and keeping corridors free will go on, and the system of spot fines for rule violations will remain in force.
Once the yellow-line marking in New Market is complete, shopkeepers will have to keep their goods within the marked limits. Deployment of corporation staff and inspections to keep markets and the terminal in order till Diwali are also likely to continue. Passengers, too, are being urged to follow the rules inside the terminal and to report any disorder to the corporation.
Disclaimer: This news has been prepared on the basis of available sources and verification. If any fact is found to be incorrect, a correction will be published.
