Siliguri: With the festive rush set to begin, North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) has introduced a 20-bed passenger dormitory and a Puja Parikrama service at Siliguri Junction, combining affordable stay with a dedicated pandal-hopping service ahead of Durga Puja. The dormitory, inaugurated by minister Anandamoy Barman at the bus terminus on Monday, has 14 beds for men and six for women.Passengers can use the facility for 12 hours at a charge of Rs 300, with booking available at the bus terminus itself. A separate four-bed dormitory has been opened for NBSTC employees.“This bus terminus is very old and passengers have been making several demands for a long time. It is not possible to fulfil all the demands at once. But ahead of Durga Puja, we have started work on meeting some of them. From Monday, a dormitory has been opened for general passengers,” Barman said.NBSTC has also opened a new waiting lounge with 29 three-seater sofas, televisions and mobile charging points. A separate VIP lounge has been introduced, which passengers can use at Rs 20 per hour.Barman said some of the new lounges will soon be equipped with air-conditioning.On the other hand, the Puja Parikrama service will be operated on Oct 14 and 15, with both AC and non-AC buses taking passengers to different pandals in the morning and evening, Barman said.“The Puja Parikrama service will allow passengers to visit different pandals using NBSTC buses. Both AC and non-AC buses will be deployed, and food arrangements will also be made for passengers during the tour,” he added.
