T’puram: It has been five months since a new corporation council took charge and a month after a new state govt took over but condition of the city bus stops remains the same. Many of them remain in a dilapidated state often posing a risk to the people who use them.The state govt may have brought in the Priyadarshini scheme of free travel for women, but they have failed to provide facilities for people to wait for buses.The false ceiling of the bus shelter at Statue bus stop opposite Secretariat has broken and have collapsed in such a way that people cannot enter the shelter.Similar is the condition of the bus shelter opposite the Palayam church. Many of these bus stops were built almost 15 years ago and are not maintained.Commuters say that they are used to waiting for buses on the roadside. Though the city has a good public transport network served by KSRTC and private buses, neither city corporation nor state govt had shown interest in building bus bays and shelters for people.Kavya M, who travels from Kowdiar to Thampanoor most days, said the bus stop shelter at Kowdiar has had no roof for years. “We are used to waiting for buses under the shade of a tree, on a pavement, or on the roadside where there is no pavement.”Many of the bus shelters are under the maintenance of corporation while many of them were built using MLA and MP funds.Though most of the buses are operated by KSRTC, it does not want to take responsibility because private buses also use the same facility. The transport department has not taken responsibility either.The residents’ associations have got tired of making representations.
