Calling Citizens to Join in the Protest to bring back ‘Bus Shelter’ near St Agnes
Members of Mangaluru Civic Group Asks Citizens to Join in the Protest to bring back Bus Shelter near St Agnes College-Mangaluru which was demolished to make way for the Institution Centenary Entrance Gate/Commemorative Wall. The MEGA PROTEST including members of Mangaluru Civic Group and other Social Groups will be held on THURSDAY 22 FEBRUARY at 10.30 AM front of St Agnes College Gate. Citizens are requested to join the protest in large numbers so that your voices could be heard by the concerned authorities, so that the long pending issue is rectified and that citizens and students will not have to stand in scorching sun or drenched in heavy downpour?
Mangaluru: Couple of weeks ago a citizen had called the Police Commissioner T R Suresh during a Phone-In Programme complaining about the missing bus shelter near St Agnes College-Mangaluru, which has been causing lots of inconveniences/hardship to the commuters, including the college students who have to wait for their buses in scorching heat during Summer, and drench in heavy downpour during monsoons season. This is not the ONLY person who is facing the brunt of not having a bus shelter, but there are a few other hundred citizens, including STUDENTS who are also facing hardships in the absence of a bus shelter.
This report is for the kind attention of Mangaluru City Corporation Mayor Kavita Sanil and other concerned authorities, to look into this matter, as to why a bus shelter which was demolished for the benefit of the St Agnes institution has not been replaced with an alternative bus shelter even after a long time- where commuters especially the COLLEGE STUDENTS are facing the brunt of it waiting for the buses in the treacherous hot weather and also getting wet when it pours heavy during monsoon time. Earlier a small bus shelter was set up just to please the commuters, but this bus shelter was like a “Cow Shed”, even my dog kennel was bigger than that tiny bus shelter. And after Team Mangalorean highlighted on this small bus shelter in Mangalorean.com, the bus shelter was removed and moved near to the College gate. As of now only pillars of the bus shelter exist, without a roof??
Earlier Bus Shelter before it was Demolished
A Makeshift Small Bus Shelter was set up later, which looked like a ‘Cow Shed? – and
no commuters used it, except stray dogs!
A nice bus shelter did exist for many years, which was once well cleaned and painted neat by the volunteers of Ramakrishna Mission ‘Swachh Bharath Campaign’- and a few weeks later it was completely demolished to make way for a new entrance gate of St Agnes Institutions-Mangaluru. Even though a nice gate was constructed and finished long ago, but no one bothered to reconstruct a bus shelter of the same standard until recently a small bus shelter was built, where till then commuters faced lots of inconveniences/hardships waiting for the buses in the hot sun and heavy rains.
This story is like demolishing a ‘nice concrete house’ to make way for a new project, and once the project is done, then replacing the original demolished concrete house with a ’tiled roof house”? Similarly is the case here, a nice spacious bus shelter with seating facility was demolished to make way for a college project, and now for namesake and to satisfy or probably fool the public, an inferior smaller with no proper facilities bus shelter has been replaced. Bah humbug! Poor planning by the MCC or anyone who is behind this initiative- not a “Smart Planning” for a “Smart City”? Simply waste of money on such kind of projects which don’t benefit the citizens. There is absolutely no planning or policy when it comes to the number of bus shelters to be built at a particular point as some important bus stops in the city, resulting in the bus drivers stopping according to their whims and fancies. In fact, there are no shelters at all in most of the bus stops in the newly added wards. There cannot be a worse hardship, a commuter can face while waiting for a bus for a long time.
In conclusion, all I have to say is that a new and better bus shelter is the need of the hour near St Agnes College-Bendore, and not an inferior bus shelter, where chances are that it will be used for illegal activities, also four-legged animals like stray dogs and cows will use it for their shelter. Better late than never – a new bus shelter like the one which still exists across from the College (located near the road going towards Kadri) should be moved closer to the college gate, where there is enough empty space which will be convenient and useful for the students and general public or the concerned authorities should educate or strictly urge the bus drivers to stop in front of this new bus shelter.
However the management has come out with excuses that having a bus shelter opposite to college will result in accidents and also hectic for students to cross the road at the same spot. Which is far from true? Earlier there was a bus shelter, and no accidents or any other safety hazard has been caused to the students. This is nothing but to avoid the bus shelter by blocking the view of the centenary gate/wall. A bus shelter is much important than a freaking gate or a wall? Period.
Better late than never- before this new bus shelter comes up, the authorities should think twice whether it would serve the purpose- and also why construct a small bus shelter when the original was of bigger size. AND ALSO WHO IS PAYING FOR THIS PROJECT -IT BETTER NOT BE THE TAX-PAYERS? Oh well- let’s wait and see, what action will the MCC take for the convenience of the commuters relying on public transport? And in the meantime, citizens should join in the protest on Thursday 22 February and FIGHT FOR JUSTICE. Mangaluru Civic Group along with other Organizations kindly request to join hands with them and make a difference. Commuters are desperately seeking a BETTER BUS SHELTER?
Also Read Related Articles:
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Need a ‘Better Bus Shelter’ at ‘Better Spot’ Near St Agnes College
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The Incredible ‘Shifting & Shrinking’ Bus Shelter near St Agnes College?
