COIMBATORE: People waiting to board buses from the recently inaugurated bus stop on Mettupalayam Road in front of the MGR Wholesale vegetable market voiced concerns regarding safety due to the lack of lights in the facility. The people say the bus stop has been brought into use in haste without providing basic amenities.
The National Highways wing of the State Highways Department started the Saibaba Colony flyover project a few weeks ago. Given this, encroachments were removed and several trees were felled. As part of the measures, officials also began removing some of the encroachments at the bus stop in front of the MGR Wholesale market.
The civic body had set up a long bus stop on the Mettupalayam Road in front of the MGR Wholesale market which is located right opposite the Mettupalayam Road New Bus Terminus. With numerous passengers arriving at the bus terminus and to the MGR market, the civic body established a long bus stop in front of the MGR market which is over 30 ft long.
After a long delay, the bus stop was inaugurated on September 23. However, the bus bay lacks lighting facilities which affects the passengers after dusk. With the Saibaba Colony flyover works in progress, the medians and street lights were removed by the highways department to facilitate the construction of pillars. Due to this, the bus stop is engulfed by darkness. People are irked over the civic body for throwing open the bus bay before completing all the work.
Speaking to TNIE, CCMC Commissioner M Sivaguru Prabakaran said, “I’ve instructed officials to install lights in the MGR Market bus bay. As it’s a big bus bay and there is a large area that needs to be lit up, I’ve instructed officials to set up streetlights to keep the place well-lit. The works will be completed soon.”