MARGAO
Work on the replacement of the damaged shed of the KTC bus stand at Margao is executed on top most priority, thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the bus stand to inaugurate the Viksit Bharat rally on February 6.
The iconic Margao old bus stand, located in the heart of the commercial capital, right opposite the Margao police station, has been craving for attention over the years. In fact, commuters of city buses and buses plying on the city outskirts, have been left to fend for themselves with neither the local Margao Municipality nor the government intervening to stop the decay.
While the PWD-appointed contractor is busy sprucing up the KTC bus shed, erected and inaugurated exactly 40 years ago in 1985, ahead of PM Modi’s visit to the bus stand for the Viksit rally, the bus shed at the Margao Old bus stand is lying in a state of neglect and decay.
A visit to the old bus stand on Friday revealed that there’s no turnaround at the bus shelter despite pleas made by the commuters and consumer rights organizations. In fact, all pleas by the consumer organizations seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. A commuter taking shelter under the damaged shed wondered whether the powers that be have some other plans, including plans to shut down or relocate the old bus stand and use it for commercial activity.
A close look at the bus shed revealed that no measures have been initiated to repair the shed, leave alone replacement of the shed. Commuters do not enjoy the facility of seating arrangements, including benches, as they literally sit on a laterite stone wall. That the old bus stand shed is prone to rain water seepage in the monsoons has not spurred the authorities, including the powers that be to carry out the basic repairs and spruce up the shed for the benefit of the bus commuters.
