Poor Amenities Add to Woes at Bus Stand

Poor Amenities Add to Woes at Bus Stand

VELLORE: The Vellore bus stand is catering to thousands of passengers everyday but this major link lacks basic amenities, particularly relating to sanitation and safe drinking water. In addition, transgenders harass passengers, youngsters as beggars demand money from passengers and reckless driving by auto-drivers add to the woes of the public.

The bus stand, located in the heart of the district, was inaugurated in the year 2005 on 8.79 acres of land. It connects different districts within the State like Salem, Hosur, Dharmapuri, Chennai and Chittoor and other cities like Tirupathi in Andhra Pradesh and Bangalore.

There are six public toilets inside the bus stand. Fifty-five-old  S Suleshana says, “I am cleaning all the toilets in the bus stand. Now-a-days no one likes to be in this profession.” “Public toilets in the bus stand are not well maintained. Even if it is clean, many people prefer to urinate in the open instead of paying `2 for public toilets,” said, A Nagaraj, a business traveller.  Transgenders and auto rickshaws were an increasing menace for passengers. “I would give money rather than argue with a transgender,” he added.

Many passengers and outsiders wish that the autos should be parked outside the bus stand. They claim that the auto drivers literally drag the luggage once the passengers get down from the bus. Tricycle rickshaw drivers alleged that many people were openly consuming alcohol in the godown at the bus stand at night. As many as 30 Corporation contract workers, 24 women and 6 men were engaged in cleaning the new bus stand. They said, “We didn’t get last month’s salary. They usually delay our monthly pay.” There are also two toilets for the disabled but . However, these toilets are yet to be opened for the public.

Zone IV Junior Engineer G Senthil said,“Within a week, the differently-abled toilets will be opened.” On delay in payments to contract workers, he said, he would look into this matter.

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