Inter-state bus terminal at Patto down in the dumps

AFTAB SHAIKH

aftab@herald-goa.com

The terminal that connects the capital city of Goa to neighbouring states is howling for the attention of authorities. However, the inter-state bus terminal also known as Bombay bus stand located at Patto-Panjim has been ignored. The terminal which was once situated at the edge of the Mandovi Bridge was shifted to Patto as the area was acquired for the construction of the third Mandovi Bridge. However since then, the terminal has been completely neglected. 

Though the terminal at Patto is double the size of the previous location, most of the space at Patto has been left unutilised and no proper space allotment for buses has worsened the matter. “We were happy to be shifted to a bigger space, as it used to become very congested at the previous bus stand. But nothing has changed. Though the space is huge, it is in a very bad condition,” said Shankar Amonkar, a Goan based inter-state bus owner. 

A person entering the bus terminal cannot stand without removing a handkerchief to cover his nose, as the non-availability of toilets has forced people to urinate in bushes. With the rain, the unpleasant odour of urine makes it impossible for a person to wait in the area. What adds to the woes is the unavailability of a proper shelter to take cover from the rain or sun in the event that a bus is late or in case a passenger is waiting for his bus to arrive. 

Harshada Chavan, a tourist from Pune said, “We had to sit on the footpath outside the bus stand just to relax ourselves as there is no place to sit and neither is there any shelter to take cover from the sun. We just want to board the bus and go back home.” 

Meanwhile, during the wee hours, the exit point of the bus stand turns into a haphazard parking area as non availability of parking for people creates more chaos. “The Government should start pay parking in and around the bus stand so that there is discipline in parking. At the previous bus stand, there were people who monitored the parking area and also people were supposed to pay to park their vehicle. Here people park anywhere,” said another bus owner.

Simultaneously, the interstate bus terminal has turned into a hub for beggars as a number of beggars with idols and steel plates are always seen asking for money from tourists. As the bus stand becomes more active in the evening, beggars gather from different areas of Panjim and go about their business.