The North News
Chandigarh, July 11
The Talwara bus stand in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district is set for a long-awaited overhaul after the state government acknowledged the dire condition of the facility in the Vidhan Sabha. Responding to a Call Attention motion, Punjab’s Minister for Rural Development and Panchayats, Tarunpreet Singh Sond, assured the House that the bus stand would be upgraded in coordination with the Transport Department. The deteriorating state of the building was flagged by Dasuya MLA, who called for immediate attention to what he described as an “urgent civic issue” in the Talwara block.
Sond admitted that the local Panchayat Samiti currently lacks the financial resources to undertake a complete reconstruction of the facility. However, he said that essential repairs would be carried out in the interim using either Samiti funds or grants allocated under the 15th Finance Commission to keep the station operational. Significantly, the minister revealed that administrative approval for a budget of ₹2.62 crore was granted by the Transport Department in 2021 for new construction. But the proposed work stalled due to a lack of fund disbursal, leaving the project in limbo for over three years.
“We are committed to renewing efforts in collaboration with the Transport Department to push forward the upgrade and ensure basic infrastructure needs are met in Talwara,” said Sond, noting that discussions were underway to resolve the impasse.
The announcement brings cautious optimism to residents and commuters who have long complained about the poor state of public amenities in the region. However, concerns remain over how swiftly the coordination between departments will materialise into concrete action.
