Almora.
A joint delegation comprising office bearers of Devbhoomi Udyog Vyapar Mandal, Akhil Bharatiya Purva Sainik Seva Parishad, Dharma Jagran Samnvay Almora, Ex-Para Military Force Personnel Welfare Association, and various social workers of the city met District Magistrate Anshul Singh under the leadership of Nagar President Sanjay Sah Rikhku. The delegation welcomed the DM with a bouquet and apprised her of several key issues concerning the city.
The representatives submitted a memorandum requesting that buses headed to different destinations be operated half an hour before the scheduled time and continue to run from the Mall Road/Roadways Station, ensuring convenience for senior citizens, women, and specially-abled individuals.
Objection to Shifting Bus Operations to Karnataka Khola
The organizations expressed strong objection to the proposed plan to start roadways buses from the Karnataka Khola Bus Station, located nearly 10 km away from the city. They highlighted that such a move would create severe difficulties for the elderly, disabled persons, women, and children, as no government transport facility is available between Karnataka Khola and the main bus stand.
They further pointed out that taxi or private vehicle drivers charge arbitrary fares, making it financially burdensome for common passengers.
One-Way System Causing Additional Hardship
Due to the one-way traffic system, buses arriving on Mall Road have to take a longer 10 km detour within the city, causing inconvenience to the elderly and disabled passengers and leading to health-related discomfort.
Negative Impact on Local Businesses
Trade representatives stated that if buses stopped arriving on Mall Road, the city’s business ecosystem would be severely affected.
Almora’s main marketplace is located around Mall Road, and this area is vital for local trade, sweet shops, and small businesses. They emphasized that the “Local for Vocal” initiative would also be impacted and that people from rural areas may avoid visiting the markets, causing further decline in business activity.
Additionally, many locals who work in shops or markets would face livelihood challenges.
Mall Road Considered Most Suitable for Passengers
The memorandum stated that:
Nearly 80% of Almora’s population lives around Mall Road.
Most hospitals, clinics (over 90%), banks, government offices, schools, and colleges are situated here.
Both the taxi stand and KMOYU bus services operate primarily from this area.
For passengers coming from Delhi, Gurugram, Lucknow, or Chandigarh, reaching the ISBT is quite difficult, while Mall Road remains centrally accessible.
The delegation reminded the DM that former District Magistrate Vineet Tomar had earlier permitted roadways buses to halt for 10 minutes on Mall Road, which proved effective without causing traffic chaos.
Appeal to the DM
The organizations urged DM Anshul Singh to maintain the earlier decision and ensure that bus services continue from Mall Road/Roadways Station. They also demanded that buses be operated half an hour before the scheduled time from Almora Station so that disabled and elderly citizens do not face the hardship of traveling to Karnataka Khola, and to prevent exploitation through excessive fare demands.
Delegation Members Present
The delegation included:
District President Manoj Singh Pawar, Women’s District Vice President & Councilor Vandana Verma, Nagar General Secretary Deep Chandra Joshi, Women’s Nagar Vice President Manu Gupta, District Organisation Minister Neeraj Thapa, District Vice President Himanshu Bisht, President of Purva Sainik Seva Parishad Keshav Datt Pandey, Dharma Jagran Province Cultural Head Arvind Chandra Joshi, President of Mahila Kalyan Sanstha Rita Durgapal, Ex-Para Military Force Welfare Association (Kumaon Mandal) President Manohar Singh Negi, Prof. Aradhana Shukla, Sunil Kumar Yadav, Harikrishna Khatri, Pradeep Joshi, Nikesh Upadhyay, Kishan Datt, Mahendra Singh, Vinod Giri, Anand Singh, Trilok Singh, Raghubir Singh, Prakash Singh, Sudhir Gupta, Manish Malhotra, P.G. Goswami, Narendra Kumar Verma, Chandra Shekhar Singh, Diwan Singh Bora, Kishan Singh Khanni, and others.
