Jaipur’s bus shift plan to move intercity operations from Sindhi Camp to satellite terminals at Heerapura and Transport Nagar has stalled after a dispute between the traffic police, Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation (RSRTC) and private bus operators, keeping the city’s main bus hub at the centre of congestion concerns.
The government wants intercity bus departures and arrivals distributed across the satellite terminals, but most state-run services continue to originate from Sindhi Camp. Traffic officials say the imbalance has made enforcement difficult, while private operators argue that they are being pushed away from the central terminal even as RSRTC retains an advantage on busy routes such as Ajmer Road, Delhi Road and Agra Road.
A traffic official said RSRTC was not willing to start or terminate operations from locations other than Sindhi Camp. The official added that private operators had warned they would also return to Sindhi Camp if the state-run corporation did not change its position. The dispute has therefore turned a decongestion plan into a question of whether the same operating rules will apply to public and private services.
The confrontation intensified before Diwali, when the traffic wing barred private buses from entering the city. Private operators protested, after which similar restrictions were imposed on roadways buses. RSRTC’s opposition led the department to withdraw both orders, leaving the proposed shift effectively frozen.
Private operators have also questioned whether passengers will accept the additional cost and inconvenience of reaching Heerapura from Sindhi Camp. Kailash Chand Sharma, president of the Private Bus Operators Association (Stage Carriage), said passengers would not pay almost the price of a non-air-conditioned ticket to Ajmer for an autorickshaw ride between the two terminals. He alleged that applying the shift only to private operators would amount to discrimination.
The present arrangement has created a divided operating pattern. RSRTC buses originate at Sindhi Camp and make brief halts at the satellite terminals. On return journeys, they skip the terminals and drop passengers along roadsides, according to the report. This leaves the satellite facilities unable to function as consistent arrival and departure points for intercity travel.
Transport secretary and RSRTC chairperson Bhawani Singh Detha said operations were being planned with public convenience in mind. He said both the Heerapura and Transport Nagar bus terminals were being developed and that the issues would be resolved soon. A senior RSRTC official, however, defended continued operations from Sindhi Camp, saying the corporation had a full-fledged terminal and that its buses were not causing congestion in the area.
The next step depends on whether the transport authorities can establish a uniform operating framework for RSRTC and private buses, while ensuring that passengers can reach and use the satellite terminals without disproportionate additional travel costs. Until then, the orders restricting bus access remain withdrawn and the decongestion plan remains on hold.
