NILGIRIS: Legislator Pon Jayaseelan and his supporters staged a sit-in on the bus stand premises on Saturday afternoon demanding the repair of the Gudalur bus stand and its damaged road.
The AIADMK legislator representing the Gudalur constituency held the protest to draw the attention of District Collector Lakshmi Bhavya Tanneeru so that the bus stand and the road could be repaired at the earliest.
The condition of the bus stand got further worsened recently as rainwater stagnated, turning into a virtual swimming pool. Passengers suffer as they have been forced to wade through the muddy water.
Jayaseelan alleged the repair of the bus stand was intentionally delayed. "Laying of paver blocks within the bus stand can help the passengers walk safely instead of stepping into the stagnant water. The work is being delayed by the DMK government since I belong to the AIADMK.
"I have already requested the district collector and additional collector to take steps to lay paver blocks within the bus stand by allotting Rs 50 lakhs. I have been asking top officials in the last two-and-a-half years to carry out the work under the Special Area Development Programme (SADP). However, nothing has materialised. This has caused huge embarrassment to me, forcing me to stage a protest seeking the government's attention," said Jayaseelan. "So far the passengers were forced to walk through full of potholes. Now the rainy season has worsened the condition. The Gudalur bus stand is at the trijunction of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, and hundreds of passengers as well as tourists use the bus stand daily. It is the duty of the officials to provide basic facilities for the passengers," said Jayaseelan. After the protest, revenue officials and top police officials held talks with the MLA. He was told the work for the laying of paver blocks was given to a contractor and it will be completed within the next 15 days. However, Gudalur MLA asked the contractor to take one month's time and complete the works ensuring quality. The protest was then called off.