Why Spend Money Paint a Bus Shelter used ONLY by Alcoholics & NOT Workaholics / Bus Commuters?
Mangaluru: While passing by the not-in-use Bus Shelter near Mallikatte Circle going towards Bunts Hostel, I noticed a bunch of youngsters painting the said Bus Shelter. I thought to myself why even spend money or for that matter, “Sponsored/Donated Money” on a dilapidated Bus Shelter which has been not in use for the last couple of years, after the road expansion and other developments were done- the ONLY people who have been using this Bus shelter are the drunkards, or call them alcoholics, even beggars to spend their night, stray dogs- and NOT Bus Commuters at all? The pictures in this report of all the empty liquor bottles/packs will speak about the drinking spree going on in this bus shelter. You will also see a bunch of chewing tobacco empty wrappers, cigarette butts etc
When such is the condition of this bus shelter why even bother to paint it, when no bus commuters are using it, since the buses are taking a different route, and also a few of the buses are stopping at a different spot. If you look around the City, there are so many bus shelters in good condition, well painted, etc but you will find no commuters using it for the fact the buses don’t stop where the bus shelter exist. The newest addition to the city’s bus shelters is the newly constructed bus shelter in front of City Hospital-Kadri Road, a project by Lions Club- but with a rickshaw stand and vehicles parked in front of this bus shelter, the buses stop at the earlier location. What a waste of money on a project, which doesn’t serve peoples’ cause.
Looking at the extreme-makeover going on with the Mallikatta Bus shelter, I called the Swami of Ramakrishna Mission- Swami Ekagamyanandaji- Co-convener of Swachh Mangaluru Abhiyan and narrated to him about the illegal activities going on in that bus shelter, other than it serving any good purpose to the citizens. I even told him that with the election mode of conduct, where no liquor is served at the wine shop opposite to this bus shelter, their clients buy liquor/food at that wine shop and consume it inside the bus shelter- making it like a “bar & Restaurant”?-and also leave behind lots of garbage.
In reply Swami told me that he knows what’s going on, the only reason they are painting the bus shelter is as part of city beautification. Okay, but my humble request is that they should see that no alcoholics/smokers/beggars use the newly painted bus shelter other than bus commuters- if not it will be a shame and abuse of a decent newly painted bus shelter by all these ignorant alcoholics and of that kind. Let’s wait and see, what will be the outcome of this!
If you look around the City, 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 many places there are more than two bus stops in a row, 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. An overenthusiastic MCC and other organizations/associations have gone ahead with random construction of bus shelters, leaving the commuters more confused at some places and have completely ignored certain places.
In conclusion, having more than one bus shelter at a bus stop is definitely confusing to the commuters as the bus might stop anywhere. Also when there is a bus shelter where commuters are not using it, chances are that illegal folks use it for illegal activities, also four-legged animals like stray dogs and cows use it for their shelter. The city and transport authorities have to come out with a solution as to how to put these deserted bus shelters in use again-one way they can do it is educate the bus drivers or post bus route numbers/destination names in front of these deserted bus shelters. Also, the authorities should make people use the new or remodeled/painted bus shelters, rather than allow them to be used for illegal activities. If not it will be “Absolutely not a “Smart” plan when the City is gearing up to be a “Smart City?”.
Also read related articles :
- Not Smart! Having a New Bus Shelter when No Buses Stop- Also Illegal Parked Vehicles Block Access
- Not Smart! Wasting Tax Payers Money on Mallikatte Circle & Bus Shelter near City Hospital?
- Swachh Mluru! St Theresa School Children & Local Activists Clean Mallikatta Area
- Is it a Bus Shelter or a Death-Shelter?