This is an annual situation in the monsoons. Commuters are facing problems at the Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited (KTCL) bus terminal in Panjim due to lack of maintenance by the authorities concerned. The state of the terminal gets worst every monsoon as water starts leaking inside the shed and water is logged inside the parking areas.
Commuters can’t even enter the terminus from the main entrance as it gets flooded with water if it rains continuously for more than half an hour at any point of time.
This bus stand plays an important link for the state transport system from North to South. Located at the entrance of the Panjim city, the stand has dozens of potholes right from the entrance to the exit of the terminus.
The potholes were developed even before the outset of the monsoons and no measures were taken to repair them by the authorities.
Besides that the main building is also in a very bad condition. The waiting areas are totally in a shambles mainly because of the pending maintenance. Water not only logs in the terminal but also in the area where commuters wait to catch their bus.
Commuters are often seen waiting in big queues to buy KTC tickets for shuttle services.
KTCL General Manager Sanjay Ghate said that the major maintenance work is being done by PWD or GSIDC while only cleaning and sweeping is the responsibility of the CCP.
“We have been writing to the Transport Department and Public Works Department every now and then regarding the maintenance work. Now we have also moved a file to government and we have learnt that the government has directed the departments to take up the work on priority”, Ghate said.
However, he mentioned that the repairs would be done only after monsoons.
The second major issue is faced by the bus operators at this terminal while entering and exiting the terminus. During the peak hours it takes at least 10 to 15 minutes just to exit from the terminus.
“This is a very ugly state of the KTC bus stand in Panjim. We are promoting a bad image of Goa since the stand is the first place where tourists set their foot in the State,” said Krutika Dalvi, a commuter.
She says that the authorities should at least keep the terminus clean in monsoons while engaging some staff to keep it dirt free.
Another commuter Priya Ranjan Singh said that the terminus is becoming very dangerous as it becomes very wet and slippery when it rains.
“It is very difficult for the women and elderly people to walk in the terminal where there is every possibility of slipping and breaking a limb or two,” he said.
The mothers carrying babies also face the risk of facing the winds which accompany the heavy rain. The obnoxious smell emanating for the toilets is never absent and the commuters who wait to board the inter-state buses have to bear this stench.
