No bus shelter on Satara Road sweats commuters

People have picked the shelter — that was lying around — and tied to a pole in a makeshift arrangement

Passengers waiting for their buses have to put up with the scorching sun on Pune-Satara Road due to the unavailability of stands. Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) has removed shelters from this route due to bus rapid transit system (BRTS) development work.

The lack of facility has prompted the commuters to lift the shade and install it temporarily. Some believe that it is a risky affair as it can fall off anytime.

“The stand is located at the busy junction of Dhankawdi near the Rajashri Shahu Maharaj Bank and is used by thousands every day. However, once the PMPML officials removed the shades, they never returned to install new ones,” said Altaf Khan, a regular commuter.

The Shahu Bank bus stand was removed for the development work and was kept near the location itself. This spelt trouble for passengers, who have had to face the heat of this decision. “Since the mercury levels did not spare the people, they lifted the bus stand and placed it at the old location,” he said.

Khan claimed that everybody is aware of the risk posed by this bus stop that has been merely tied to a pole to prevent it from falling off. “PMPML should immediately install a new shade or fix the old stand before an untoward incident takes place,” he added.

PMPML’s engineering department head Niranjan Tulpule informed that the bus stop was removed to pave way for BRTS. “We plan to install shade on this route, where commuters are large in number. We have asked for raw material to make new shades. I will ensure that it is installed on priority all over the road,” he said.