By CT reporter
MANGALORE : Mangalore is undoubtedly a fast progressing city. The concretization spree underway on various roads, the fly-over works all prove this point. It’s true the concretized roads are sans footpaths and proper side drain facilities. At the same time, it’s equally true that this fast growing city is also devoid of a full-fledged bus stand for its large fleet of private city as well service buses.
No doubt, the city has a namesake bus stand called the State Bank bus stand . But the question is whether it is a bus stand in the true sense. Can it be termed a bus stand by any count, when one cannot notice anything that resembles a bus stand in the area ?.
Yes, to be frank Mangalore does not have a bus stand itself. It has a place considered a
bus stand at State Bank area which was set up about 25 years ago. The then Mangalore Urban Development Authority President Abdul Khader, had evinced special interest in having a bus stand here. Those were the times when this small bus stand was suffice to meet the requirements of the limited number of city buses.
As at present, there are not even proper bus shelters for the hundreds of people who wait for buses here. The available couple of bus shelters are occupied by beggars and vagabonds and are not even clean.
About ten to 12 years ago, the then deputy commissioner had taken steps to construct a few bus shelters in this quite slopy road, for the convenience the travelling public and had seen to it that buses operating on different routes, halt in front of the different bus shelters. But presently, most of the bus shelters are missing in the event of the concretization of the road.
In fact the State Bank area in the city is a highly congested road next only to the Hampankatta area in the city. The old service bus stand which was earlier located in Hampankatta was shifted to the present make shift place in between the State Bank and Nehru Maidan. Even now it has remained a temporary bus stand for the service, express and government buses. An unauthorized garage has also come up in this area.
With the present deputy commissioner all the more interested in giving face-life to the city by freeing it of all encroachments, it is hoped he would also evince interest in providing a full-fledged bus stand for the fast growing city and fulfill this longstanding need of the people of the city.
Related news: