PUDUKKOTTAI: Little did former panchayat president of Serva Viduthi in Thanjavur district Pannerselvam, who along with mother Vellaiammal was visiting his daughter in Gujarat, expect to land in Government Pudukkottai Medical College and Hospital with nine sutures on his head upon his return.
Around 2 am on Tuesday, the two were waiting at the Pudukkottai town bus stand to return to their home in Peravurani when a portion of the roof collapsed on them. While Vellaiammal escaped with minor injuries, locals allege that it was not a stray incident. Seven other passengers suffered from the crumbling infrastructure at the decades-old bus stand, they added.
CPM town secretary R Solaiyappan said, "For more than 30 years the bus stand has not been properly maintained. While Pudukkottai municipality claimed several times of having taken up repair work, it hasn’t been the case." Mentioning the bus stand witnessing a daily footfall of over 5,000 passengers, including those from the government colleges in the town, Solaiyappan said,
“Repeated protests and petitions have, however, done little to properly repair it." Asaithambi, a former councillor, said, "Whenever there is rain the water accumulates on the roof of the bus stand, weakening the building. Repair work should have been taken up at least once a year here but nothing of the like has happened."
When contacted, a senior municipality official said that it was only the previous week that funds to the tune of Rs 18.90 crore were received from the state government for upgrade works. The tendering process for the works would commence soon following which repairs would begin after Deepavali, the official added. Meanwhile, the municipality on Tuesday evening asked the 100-odd shops at the bus stand to vacate. Preliminary repair works at Karaikudi bus bay, where a portion of the roof collapsed early on Tuesday, also commenced, sources said.