Lack of shade, toilet at Pudukkottai bus stand hassle commuters
PUDUKKOTTAI: Commuters at the temporary bus stand in Pudukottai are reeling under extreme heat, inadequate facilities, and poor infrastructure, with Friday's rain only worsening the situation. The temporary bus stand, set up behind the state transport depot, serve as a stopgap facility after demolition of the old terminal in January.
The bus stand has become a daily challenge for thousands of commuters. A total of Rs 19 crore has been allocated for the construction of a new bus stand which is still in its early phases. Meanwhile, the stop-gap arrangement leased for Rs 6 lakh over two years, has come under fire from passengers and activists alike for its poor planning and execution.
On Thursday, frustrated commuters along with a VCK functionary staged a brief protest inside the temporary stand, demanding immediate action. "There's no place to sit, no shade from the heat, and the toilets are closed. To get relief from the heat, we take shelter under the shade of shops but the shopkeepers chase us if we stand there for too long.
Sudden rainfall here has filled up all the potholes" said S Karupusamy, a commuter from Chennai. Women and elderly passengers say the situation is particularly humiliating, with open defecation becoming common near the premises due to inaccessible toilets. V Rani a passenger, said "I bought two water bottles for Rs 40 for my father just to clean the place for him to defecate in open space. All restrooms were locked,"
Adding to their woes, the temporary site lacks proper road surfacing. Unlaid stretches filled with potholes pose danger to both pedestrians and vehicles. "It's hard to even maneuver the bus. The potholes damage the vehicle and make driving risky, especially during rain," said a TNSTC driver. Calling the condition of the facility unacceptable, R Tamilsevan VCK district secretary, who visited the site, said,
"Where is properly laid roads inside the bus stand? Without making all basic arrangements, how can they even start demolition works for new bus stand. People have to walk in the potholes to walk to board in bus." He also demanded 20 mobile toilets for men and women, clean drinking water, and shaded waiting areas at the temporary bus stand. A senior corporation official assured TNIE that all necessary work will be carried out in the coming week while he did not comment on why previously these arrangements were not made.