The newly constructed Mangaluru Smart City Ltd (MSCL) Service/City Bus Stand near State Bank Area is to be Upgraded with Better Facilities as per MLA Vedayvas Kamath, joined by MCC Mayor Sudheer Shetty Kannur, and other district administration officials during their inspection on Thursday, 25 October 2023
Mangaluru: One thing for sure that any new project undertaken by Mangaluru Smart City Ltd (MSCL] is either not done scientifically for the first time or left incomplete – and here is one such project- the Newly Constructed MSCL Service cum City Bus Stand near State Bank vicinity, which lacks the important basic facilities, like not many toilets, no seating under the bus shelter, no proper food outlets, etc.
Having received various complaints from the public and social activities, MLA of Mangaluru South Constituency Vedavyas Kamath along with Mangaluru City Commissioner Mayor Sudheer Shetty Kannur, MCC Commissioner C L Anand, Senior mCC Councillor and former Mayor Premanand Shetty, other district administration officials visited the Bus Stand after inspection found out that lots of facilities are lacking presently, even though the bus stand was put into service months ago. Based on complaints from the public about inadequate facilities, they have assured to take up development works at the earliest through the Mangaluru Smart City Mission. The MLA has asked MSCL to provide roofing, seating, and other necessary facilities at the platforms of the State Bank of India service bus terminal in the city.
Following this, the City Bus Stand operating on the road between Hamilton Circle and Rao and Rao Circle was shifted inside the terminal in April 2023. Kamath said it was decided to take up the work of roofing the platforms using money from advertisers. “None of the advertisers came forward to fund roofing. Moreover, following Assembly elections, the roofing and improvement of other facilities at the service bus stand came to a halt,” he said. Roofing has been done only to two platforms related to service buses, he said. A fisherwoman selling fish in the market adjoining the terminal said as there is no shelter, several commuters have fainted in the heat and collapsed.
Higher Roof, where commuters get drenched when it rains, and feel the brunt of heat in Summer/hot sun
The mayor also said that he had been receiving complaints from passengers, the general public, and the bus owners’ association regarding the inadequate facilities at the bus stand. He said several issues were affecting passengers, including the absence of proper roofing, lack of toilet facilities, and the need for speed breakers. Street vendors in the vicinity were also causing inconvenience, he said. “The Mangaluru City Corporation is committed to completing the pending works under the Smart City Mission. We are dedicated to the development of a smart bus stand for the convenience of passengers. The bus stand project will be taken up immediately and is expected to be completed within the next two to three months,”
Based on a complaint raised by a regular commuter about the need for installing humps to slow down buses at the two exit points of the terminal, the Mayor said it would be considered. He said there was a need for seats and water facilities for commuters at the platforms. The commuters have also demanded a prominent display of bus timings. He also said a public toilet at the terminal needs better visibility and should be properly maintained.
Only THREE Buckets are used for Rinsing the Used Food Plates at the Food Stall next to Pay-to-Use Toilet-MCC Health Inspectors Wake-Up!
MLA Vedavyas Kamath said that the development of the bus stand involved concreting the entire area at a total cost of about Rs 4 crore. Initially, the plan was to address other basic infrastructure needs at the bus stand using CSR funds. However, the pending tasks, including installing a roof, a display board for bus bays to inform passengers about the route numbers of buses, constructing toilets, setting up a canteen, providing drinking water facilities, and establishing a rest room, will now be undertaken as part of the Smart City Mission. He said that a proposal for these development works will be presented at the upcoming Smart City Board meeting for approval”
No Seating Provided at the Bus Stand, making Commuters to stand for hours
Further, he said that there are plans to install CCTV cameras, Wi-Fi facilities and passenger seating initiatives that will be taken up with the support of the district minister. To a question about reducing the height of the bus stand’s roof to offer protection to passengers from the sun and rain, the MLA said he has instructed engineers to lower the roof height to enhance passenger comfort.
No Proper Canteen/Nor Food Outlet other than Unhygienic/filthy Roadside Food Stalls
When Team Mangalorean visited this Bus Stand this morning, I found that many facilities need to be upgraded or provided soon. Commuters were seen standing for hours, some mothers holding infants, waiting for their respective buses, since no seating arrangement was provided. There is a food stall very next to the pay-to-use Toilet, where Team Mangalorean noticed that used plates were rinsed in three small buckets- first, the used plates were dumped in the first bucket, then rinsed in the second bucket, and a final rinse in the third bucket-but cleaning not done under running water. This needs to be addressed by the MCC Health Inspectors like they raided the Matka Soda stall near the Kudroli Temple fair after the video of the hygienic standards of that stall went viral.
Also regarding the pay-to-use toilet, where you rs 2 for urinals and Rs 5 for Pooping – and only 5 spaces were provided for urinals and 5 for pooping- can you believe having such a small toilet facility where thousands of commuters, along with bus drivers and conductors are using the bus stand daily. however, on the positive, this toilet is well maintained and kept clean- something to be proud of in Mangaluru. Thumbs Up! Due to this, one can see men urinating along the stretch of the wall very adjacent to the bus stand- and the whole area has an unbearable stink. Wow- and you call this a Smart City, which stinks Urine?