With garbage piling, roads washed away, Panaji, Mapusa bus stands leave passengers in anguish
Panaji/Mapusa: Potholes, minor garbage dumps, and bus shelters that leave much to be desired are common scenes across the Panaji and Mapusa KTC bus stands . Water accumulates on the roads, which have washed away, splashing onto office-goers as they try to negotiate through these bus stands, which deteriorate during the monsoon.
This has made commuting a difficult part of locals’ daily life. Arman Sheikh, a commuter from St Inez who uses the Panaji bus stand , said, “The issue is that these problems have become so common that we tend to ignore them, even though they are right in front of our eyes. We won’t see the pothole craters until the bus comes with great speed and splashes the muck all over the commuters”.
The issue was highlighted recently by private bus operators who threatened a stir in a strongly-worded letter to the managing director of Kadamba Transport Corporation (KTC). They accused the state-run transport authority of gross negligence in maintaining transport infrastructure.
Rama Naik, a commuter from Pernem, said, “We can’t keep waiting for buses in the open spaces. They should put a wider shade for us”.
Passengers said the issues with the Panaji and Mapusa bus stands are long-standing and expressed little confidence in authorities to bring in changes.
Commuter Mandar Jambotkar, a regular commuter at the Panaji bus stand, said, “Telling the management about this is also ineffective. Who would listen to us and correct these errors?”
At the Mapusa bus stand , too, chaotic parking adds to the people’s anguish. Somesh Satardekar, a bus operator in Mapusa, said that private vehicles are parked in areas intended for buses. “All the scooters and cars are parked in the areas where the buses should be parked. It is such a problem to look for a spot to stop where we can call for passengers and avoid congestion in the bus stand at the same time,” he said.
Gandhari Dhuri, a passenger, said, “What are they doing with this bus stand if they don’t know how to maintain it? There are piles of garbage everywhere”.
KTC general manager Mahendra Pednekar said that “these bus stands are in redevelopment mode”.
This has made commuting a difficult part of locals’ daily life. Arman Sheikh, a commuter from St Inez who uses the Panaji bus stand , said, “The issue is that these problems have become so common that we tend to ignore them, even though they are right in front of our eyes. We won’t see the pothole craters until the bus comes with great speed and splashes the muck all over the commuters”.
The issue was highlighted recently by private bus operators who threatened a stir in a strongly-worded letter to the managing director of Kadamba Transport Corporation (KTC). They accused the state-run transport authority of gross negligence in maintaining transport infrastructure.
Rama Naik, a commuter from Pernem, said, “We can’t keep waiting for buses in the open spaces. They should put a wider shade for us”.
Passengers said the issues with the Panaji and Mapusa bus stands are long-standing and expressed little confidence in authorities to bring in changes.
Commuter Mandar Jambotkar, a regular commuter at the Panaji bus stand, said, “Telling the management about this is also ineffective. Who would listen to us and correct these errors?”
At the Mapusa bus stand , too, chaotic parking adds to the people’s anguish. Somesh Satardekar, a bus operator in Mapusa, said that private vehicles are parked in areas intended for buses. “All the scooters and cars are parked in the areas where the buses should be parked. It is such a problem to look for a spot to stop where we can call for passengers and avoid congestion in the bus stand at the same time,” he said.
Gandhari Dhuri, a passenger, said, “What are they doing with this bus stand if they don’t know how to maintain it? There are piles of garbage everywhere”.
KTC general manager Mahendra Pednekar said that “these bus stands are in redevelopment mode”.
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