Team Herald
CANACONA: The state of affairs at the Canacona KTC bus stand is extremely poor. Adding to the problem, strong winds blew away zinc sheets of the building’s roof, allowing water to pour into the building on Thursday.
The ‘modern’ bus stand was constructed by Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) in 2004 at a cost of Rs 3.20 crore. According to the controller of Canacona KTC bus stand Vinod Warik, strong winds blew away some of the roof sheets that were replaced recently, while rainwater entered the shops on the ground floor. Most of the sheets had been placed near the Assistant Directorate of Transport’s office. He added that the authorities were already informed and action would be taken soon.
Former Canacona Municipal Council (CMC) Chairperson Santosh K Gaonkar stated that the objective of the Kadamba Transport Corporation (KTC) was to provide safe, comfortable, punctual, effective and efficient transport to the public. However, the Canacona bus stand was unable to do so due to its sorry state.
Shop owners and residents complained that the bus stand hadn’t been maintained for a long time. The claimed the corroded roof sheets hadn’t been painted since the building’s inauguration and that people used umbrellas to shield themselves from water seeping through the roof. They said there was every possibility of more sheets collapsing if they were not repaired immediately.
Shop keeper Purohit informed that the pay toilet in the complex was not maintained properly and most of the time the taps ran dry. At times, commuters went behind the bushes adjacent to the bus stand to answer nature’s call.
Resident Manoj Naik Gaonkar stated that building’s walls had developed many cracks, and the entire structure would end up in ruins if the authorities continued to neglect it.
“Two-wheeler riders are parking their vehicles in a haphazard manner, thereby hindering their movement of vehicles at the bus stand,” informed Soccoro Fernandes, Principal of Vividha Commercial Institute, Chaudi.
Locals also alleged that two-wheelers were frequently entering the bus stand from the wrong side and urged the authorities to look in to the matter urgently to prevent accidents.
