‘Seeing Is Believing’! Info Display TV’s Not Functioning/Conked Out, Facility Filthy, in and around etc-That’s the Condition of the Present Smart City Bus Shelters (SCBS) ? None of the TV’s installed at these SC Bus shelters which suppose to provide real time transit data like route numbers, arriving buses with their estimated arrival time, interactive data to the users such as bus route maps and guides- are now ONLY displaying “Welcome to Smart City Mangaluru’ message 24 hours a day; surroundings of these bus shelters are filled with filth, even though a bold sign inside says “Swachh Bharat Swasth Bharat’; E-Toilet at two bus shelters are dirty in and around; and there’s much more-which ‘Seeing is Believing’!
Mangaluru: “SEEING IS BELIEVING”- is said when something unlikely is witnessed, the truth of its occurrence or existence can no longer be doubted, and that would be the right phrase when you look at the present condition of bunch of Smart City Bus Shelters, where you only after seeing these bus shelters worth few lakhs, totally neglected and abandoned. And the Smart Officials, right from the Managing Director Mohammed Nazeer and other Smart Engineers of Mangaluru Smart City Limited have totally turned a blind eye towards these Smart Bus Shelters
Even though these are Smart Bus Shelters, but People are looking at these shelters just like any other bus shelters, due to the present conditions of them. Before these smart bus shelters were launched lots of information was blabbered by the MSCL officials, stating that the bus shelters would provide IT facilities; have CCTV cameras; display information about facilities offered by the corporation as well as information on government programmes and schemes, apart from details of vehicle movement; these bus shelters will not only protect people from rain and sun, but will act as information boards; Provide real time transit data like route numbers, arriving buses with their estimated arrival time; and Provide interactive data to the users such as bus route maps and guides.Wow, well said by the Smart Officials, but right now “SEEING IS BELIEVING” , when you see the present SCBS.
For a long time, bus shelters have remained virtually unchanged. Typically, they have provided as a sitting area that can be used while awaiting transportation, as well as shelter from the natural elements like sun, wind and rain. Therefore, to bring in a change in the developing Smart City-Mangaluru, these SCBS were added as one of the development projects. These bus shelters supposed to be user friendly for elderly, children and physically challenged including tactile and braille boards for visually impaired; they would provide real time transit data like route numbers, arriving buses with their estimated arrival time.Provide interactive data to the users such as bus route maps and guides; provide safety by means of increasing visibility for waiting commuters; provide ICT facilities like WiFi Hot-spots and mobile charging point; and provide space for advertisements.
But looking at the present conditions of SCBS, all that was mentioned and said earlier, was nothing but Bull-@%#$ and fake propaganda. As per the earlier plan the Smart Bus Shelter that was supposed to come up near St Agnes College-Bendore should have been of Type A category, but what we have now is Type B, with no e-toilet. The shelters are of three types-Type A would have an e-toilet and would be 13.5 m long. Type B would have no e-toilet and they would be 11.5 m long. Type C also would have no e-toilet and their length would be 8.5 m. All shelters would have a common width of 2.4 m. In addition, all of them would have the interactive display and real-time indicator in common, as per Mohammed Nazeer, when he had briefed media persons before the launch of SCBS. But well said by Nazeer, but in reality it is history? But now with a bunch of SCBS already came up, no one knows which type is which. But whatever type these bus shelters are, they lack the standards and hygiene conditions. In conclusion, all I can say is that we need Smart People at the helm of Smart City Projects! And these Smart City Bus Shelters are one of the examples. Period.