25 Jan 2023  |   06:23am IST

‘Repair of dilapidated shed at Ponda’s KTC Bus Stand abandoned midway’

‘Repair of dilapidated shed at Ponda’s KTC Bus Stand abandoned midway’

Team Herald

PONDA:  Mystery shrouds the pending renovation work at Ponda’s KTC Bus Stand shed, which locals allege has been halted for the past four months, forcing commuters to wait for their buses under the scorching sun, as the temporary shed can only accommodate a few people at a time.  Shopkeepers at the bus stand are clueless as to why the work has been abandoned by the contractor, and worry that the long overdue project will not be completed before the monsoon months.

When contacted, KTC officials denied that the project has been abandoned, and claimed they are in the process of sourcing the construction material. However, commuters said they have not seen any workers at the site in the past four months.

Last year, the government had declared the shed unsafe for passengers. Three months later, in June, renovation works at a cost of Rs one crore began at the facility. “The contractor said the new shelter will be erected within three months, and had removed the sheets covering the dilapidated shed to begin strengthening work on the beams and slabs,” said a shopkeeper at the terminus. “But the work seems to have been abandoned for the past four months, and we do not know why, or when it will be taken up again,” he added.

Meanwhile, the entry and exit road next to the parking bay area has been in a terrible condition, riddled with potholes, for the past few years. Though PWD officials said they had issued a tender to repair the road, the hotmixing has not yet begun. As a result, some buses avoid entering the bus stand, and pick up and drop passengers on the main road instead.

 GoaCan Convenor Roland Martins said he would write to the District Collector and the Director of Transport as commuters are suffering. He said nobody knows why work on the bus stand has stopped suddenly. He added that the roads within the terminus cause severe dust pollution. “The government should take up the repair work of the shed and hotmixing of the road before the monsoon,” said Martins. 

IDhar UDHAR

Idhar Udhar