10 days deadline to open ISBT for public use blows over

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Jan 20 : The Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) at Khuman Lampak remains non-functional, despite an announcement by Additional Chief Secretary (Transport) Anurag Bajpai on January 10 that the facility would begin operations within 10 days.
January 20 is the 10 day mark given by the Additional Chief Secretary.
It is not yet known when the ISBT would be thrown open for public use, but hectic preparations seem to be underway and a mandap has already been set up to probably declare the terminus open for public use.
Launched by former Prime Minister Dr Manmo-han Singh in December 2011, the terminus has been closed for an extended period, raising concerns among commuters and stakeholders about the persistent delay.
Additionally, the ISBT campus is still being used as a camp for CRPF personnel and to park their vehicles.
Apart from the existing offices of the District Transport Officer, Imphal East, and the Department of Taxes, no new infrastructure has also been constructed at the bus terminus for logistical support purposes.
There has been little to no development on the ground to prepare the facility for its intended purpose.
Given the current state of affairs, it seems unlikely that the ISBT will become functional anytime soon.
Notably, Anurag Bajpai had announced on January 10 that the ISBT would become functional within 10 days during a media sensitization program held in connection with National Road Safety Month 2026 at the conference hall of the Directorate of Information & Public Relations (DIPR) at Nityaipat Chuthek.
The operation of the ISBT has been marred by controversy, as the terminus was declared functional only in November 2016, five years after its inauguration in 2011.
After the inauguration, the ISBT complex was left abandoned for nearly five years, turning it into a sort of an toilet for truckers and others.
The state of ISBT deteriorated rapidly during the Covid pandemic as all goods laden trucks had to report there first  for the drivers and the handymen to be tested for the virus. It thus served as the starting point for trucks and the place to report to while returning with goods.
After the pandemic blew over, nothing substantial was taken up to repair and restore the ISBT to a functional state. Winger and taxi service, especially on the Imphal-Ukhrul route, leave from just outside the inner gate of the terminus kicking up dust during the dry season and slush and mud during the rainy season.
Toilets inside the terminus were at one point of time turned into dumping sites with no water facilities.