Delhi: ISBTs crumble under heat, neglect and official apathy

Delhi: Passengers, drenched in sweat and drained by the scorching heat, were left sprawled across blistering concrete floors at Delhi’s Inter State Bus Terminals (ISBTs) — not a single fan or cooler in sight. The few water stations that existed were grimy and unusable, offering more risk than relief.

Benches, where they hadn’t been broken or ripped out altogether, were barely functional, leaving people with no choice but to crouch or sit on the searing ground. The air was thick with discomfort, and desperation clung to every corner of the terminals.

“I paid for a Volvo ticket hoping for some comfort, but before the bus even arrives, I’m drenched in sweat and there’s no place to even sit properly,” said Neha Arora, a private sector employee heading to Dehradun from Kashmere Gate.

“This is not what we expect from the capital of the country,” Arora said.

Notably, in September 2024, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena ordered a complete overhaul of Delhi’s three major ISBTs — Sarai Kale Khan, Kashmere Gate, and Anand Vihar — following Patriot’s September 13–19, 2024 edition report, which exposed the dire state of these critical public transport hubs.

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However, despite the directives from the administrative head of the national capital, the ground reality paints a grim picture of apathy and neglect.

Chaotic situation at Sarai Kale Khan

Sarai Kale Khan ISBT, one of Delhi’s busiest interstate bus terminals, sees a daily footfall of over 50,000 commuters.

At Sarai Kale Khan, the situation is nothing short of a civic failure. Platform A has virtually collapsed into dysfunction — not due to a lack of buses or passengers, but because the Sarai Kale Khan police station has completely encroached the area, converting it into an unauthorised parking lot.

Police vehicles, including cars and motorcycles, now dominate the space where commuters once waited, leaving buses with no choice but to halt dangerously in the middle of the road.

Inside what remains of Platform A, the conditions are disgraceful. The few fans installed are barely present near seating areas, and the chairs themselves are in such pathetic disrepair that commuters are forced to either stand for hours or lie on filthy, scorching floors.

The chaos doesn’t stop there.

At Platforms B and C, only three ceiling fans have been installed, none of which were operational during the visit. Commuters stood from her brow.

“Can you believe that we pay thousands of rupees as taxes to the government to get this kind of pathetic services”, Mehta said.

Senior officials at Sarai Kale Khan ISBT, on the condition of anonymity, claimed that they have transferred recently from Kashmere Gate ISBT.

“We are new and we are working hard to facilitate the commuters at the bus terminal with the best of our capabilities. We are working to fix the fans at every platform along with installing new fans at the platforms,” he said.

“We also ensure the cleanliness situation at the bus terminal, but, sometimes, the people are used to spitting tobacco in the drinking water facility. We are trying to create aware ness regarding it also,” he added.

Anand Vihar ISBT: A transit hub in ruins

Anand Vihar Inter State Bus Terminal (ISBT), which handles over 60,000 passengers daily, has become a glaring example of urban neglect. Designed to ease inter-state travel for thousands of commuters heading to Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, and other neighbouring states, the terminal today offers little more than discomfort, chaos, and frustration.

A visit to the terminal reveals a disturbing scene: missing seats at Platforms A, B, C, and D have left hundreds of commuters with nowhere to rest. What should be a basic provision — adequate seating — is either absent or broken. The few remaining chairs are filthy, rust ed, or so unstable they appear more dangerous than useful.

“There’s just nowhere to sit,” said Pushpa Devi, a domestic worker travelling to Moradabad.

“I’ve been standing with my luggage for over an hour. My legs are swollen, and no one cares,” Devi stated.

Platform D paints an even bleaker picture. While fans are installed along the platform, half of them don’t work, turning the waiting area into a heat trap. Commuters, drenched in sweat, are forced to stand for long periods in stifling conditions, with no respite from the heat.

“We’re in the national capital, but this terminal feels like it’s been for gotten by the government,” said Mohan Singh, a private tutor heading to Varanasi.

“Even a basic fan doesn’t work. What kind of system is this?” said Singh.

“My father is a heart patient,” added Nidhi Sharma, accompanying her elderly parents.

“There was no place to sit and no water in sight. How are old people supposed to manage here?” questioned Sharma.

The drinking water facilities are also lacking. Many taps were found dry or leaking, and those that did function were surrounded by garbage and stained tiles — discouraging commuters from using them. Sanitation remains another major concern, with overflowing dustbins and a foul stench lingering in many corners of the terminal.

Despite numerous revamp announcements and tall claims by officials, the ground reality of Anand Vihar ISBT remains unchanged. For the thousands who rely on this terminal every single day, it’s not just about inconvenience — it’s about enduring avoidable hardship, silently and without support.

Kashmere Gate ISBT: A crumbling pillar of the capital’s transport network

Kashmere Gate ISBT, Delhi’s largest and most significant inter-state bus terminal, sees a daily footfall of nearly 70,000 commuters, yet it stands in a state of complete disrepair and bureaucratic neglect. Once considered a flagship facility for public transport, the terminal now barely provides the bare minimum to its weary travellers.

Platforms are overcrowded, poorly maintained, and littered with broken infrastructure. Seating arrangements are either insufficient or entirely damaged. Benches with jagged edges, rusted frames, and missing slats have become a common sight across platforms. Commuters — many of them elderly or travelling with children — are forced to stand for hours or sit on the dirty floor, surrounded by filth and noise.

“It’s shocking. This is supposed to be the most important ISBT in Delhi,” said Anwar Sheikh, a senior citizen travelling to Kanpur.

“There is no dignity here — no seats, no fans, not even clean toilets,” claimed Sheikh.

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The drinking water situation is equally appalling. Water points are limited and poorly maintained, surrounded by pools of stagnant water and strewn with plastic cups and tobacco spit. With temperatures rising, the lack of clean drinking water puts thousands at risk of dehydration and heat-related illness.

Sanitation across the terminal is horrendous. The stench of urine and garbage hangs heavy in the air near toilet blocks, and overflowing dustbins go unattended for hours. Maintenance staff are scarce, and commuters often have to navigate around trash just to find space to wait.

Despite repeated promises of modernisation and a government backed “revamp,” nothing has changed at Kashmere Gate. The terminal, once a symbol of Delhi’s transit ambition, now stands as a grim reminder of government inaction and the everyday suffering of the city’s working-class commuters.

Meanwhile, when Patriot tried to reach out to authorities for comments, they refused to respond.