TIRUNELVELI: The air-conditioned shelters at Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (MSU) and Kokkirakulam (collectorate) bus stops, which were constructed to make lives easier for commuters, are now lying in a miserable condition. Chairs in the shelters have gone missing and ACs have been either stolen or are non-functional.
Speaking to TNIE, women students of MSU pointed out that the AC at the varsity bus stop has been missing for months. There are no chairs for us to sit in the shelter as well. Despite its construction with taxpayers' money, it remains closed and unusable, they said.
Collectorate staff said the AC in their bus shelter is switched off always. "This shelter was constructed to help passengers escape from summer heat. But we are not getting the benefit of it," said S Arumugaraja, a medical representative who travels daily from Puliyangudi to Kokkirakulam.
The AC shelter at MSU bus stop was constructed in 2018-19 at an outlay of Rs 10 lakh and in Kokkirakulam, the shelter was built at a cost of `14.5 lakh with the MP fund of former MP Vijila Sathyanath. "Someone stole the AC at MSU bus shelter. The college administration has assured us they would maintain it. I will ask them to make it functional. The corporation engineer has been told to keep the AC in Kokkirakulam shelter switched on," the MP said.