SUNDAY, APRIL 21, 2024
Team Herald
MARGAO: Forced to wait for their buses in the scorching heat at the incomplete KTC Bus Stand in Ponda, angry commuters called on the government to complete the abandoned work of the renovation of the shed, urging the authorities to at least provide them a shelter before the monsoon.
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 eight months, and we do not know why, or when it will be taken up again,” said social worker Viraj Sapre. “ The Ministers and MLAs travel in the luxury of AC cars, they should visit this bus stand and see the plight of the commuters,” he remarked. He added that the toilets at the bus stand are not illuminated, making them unsafe for women.
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, pointed out former sarpanch Rajesh Naik, calling on the Chief Minister to intervene and get them repaired.
“As a result, some buses avoid entering the bus stand, and pick up and drop passengers on the main road instead,” he added.
