A bus stand that could scare you away

BANGALORE: Filthy, dirty, bad, horrible and one can go on and on to describe the condition of the  Kalasipalyam bus stand. Notorious and scaring people away, this bus stand is not only dirty but dangerous with many anti-social elements haunting the place. This area is a major hub for outstation buses, KSTRC as well as private bus operators plying services to neighbouring states.Today, the bus stand covering more than five acres, is plagued by innumerable civic issues ranging  from lack of bus shelters, encroachment, garbage to insufficient toilet facilities. The plans for renovating the bus stand were put on paper, many a time, by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike ( BBMP) but the project never took off. The first plan was drafted in the year 2002, then after a long gap, in 2010, the officials woke up to the fact that the bus stand was still dirty and woefully short of civic facilities.  The proposal was to convert the huge area into a high tech bus stand and make it a junction point for Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses especially at the night times. Hence, on May 9 , 2010, a proposal letter was sent to the government with details regarding  the road map and the estimated cost. But the irony is, two years has elapsed and no action has been initiated on the project till date. When City Express spoke to BMTC chief Engineer, Prakash on the recent developments pertaining to the project, he said, “ the project has been handed over to the BMTC. However, we are awaiting the government order. Once we get the order, we will finalise the budget and the work will begin in no time.”Eliciting the opinion of a few commuters on the condition of the bus stand, the reaction as expected was furious. “There is absolutely no maintenance on the part of the authorities. For the last two years, this bus stand has no shelter. It becomes very difficult for the seniors citizens to stand in this heat without any kind of shelter,” said Padmanav, a businessman. Voicing a similar opinion, Deepa K, a student said, “I have been observing that people neither have a shelter nor a seating area. They tend to sit on the steps of the houses adjacent to the bus stand. Regarding the dirt and garbage dump, I dont think we should even talk about it, they are dumped every where in this area.” Right opposite this bus stand, one can see cow sheds. Emanating a foul smell, it makes it painful for the commuters when waiting for the buses.  “There are no toilet facilities for the commuters, however, there is a pay and use public toilet outside the premises. But even that is not well maintained. Adding to their misery, is the obnoxious smell coming from the dirty cow sheds. On many occasions, one feels as if the bus stand has been converted to a grazing field for the cows,” says Altaf. Shooting many queries across he says, “Where does one stand or sit as the entire space is occupied hawkers?” The traffic controller of the bus stand, on quizzed about the regular cleaning of the bus stand premises, informed, “The civic workers clean the premises on a regular basis, however, in no time, it transforms into a dumping yard again.”