the goan I network
MARGAO
The state-of-the-art Rs 350-crore Fatorda Margao Bus Terminal may take some time before it takes concrete shape. But does the proposed project in any way stop the Kadamba Transport Corporation in giving a facelift to the existing bus stand running from a shed erected around three decades ago?
An inspection of the Margao KTC bus stand carried out by volunteers of Goacan has brought to light that all is not well with the bus stand used by thousands of passengers every day. The inspection revealed that the bus stand has insufficient bins for plastic waste. The stall owners were found using boxes and buckets to collect their waste.
Also, the bins neither displayed the name of the stall nor the owner.
The bus stand also lacked basic drinking water facility, with the report stating that the filtered drinking water facility was non-functional and the room for the same was being used to dump garbage. The sitting arrangement available for passengers, drivers and conductors was not only insufficient but some of the benches were found in a broken condition.
Goacan volunteers also found the dumping of scrap and broken items all round, giving the bus stand a shabby look. Rusted boards, a broken toll collection booth at the exit, broken cement benches and wooden logs were found lying around.
It was also learnt that supervisory staff of the KTCL and the Directorate of Transport failed to carry out periodic inspections of the bus stand. That’s not all. The bus stand lacked fire extinguishers, first aid kit, display board with timings of interstate buses serviced by KTCL. No proper no-smoking signages as required under COTPA were seen. It also lacked
wheelchair access to the shuttle ticket counter and exclusive parking for the disabled passengers.
