MAPUSA
The chaotic and passenger unfriendly condition at the Mapusa bus-stand came under scrutiny while the GOACAN conducted its consumer awareness action at the KTC bus-stand on Tuesday evening.
With shops and tea stalls taking over, the space meant for passengers and bus drivers and conductors, the KTC bus-stand in Mapusa has turned into a market, said Roland Martins, coordinator of GOACAN.
He said one of the rooms of the KTC office which was used by the drivers and conductors as a rest room was removed and converted into a cold drink shop.
“Very soon, they will also remove the RTO office and make RTO officers sit under an umbrella,” Martins said.
The GOACAN coordinator then turned his attention to the teashop that has been illegally erected on the platform no 5 of the bus-stand.
He said the transport department had directed the MD of the KTC to remove the tea stall and restore the benches of the passengers on the platform some months ago, but the KTC was yet to comply with the order.
“We should demand for a better bus-stand. This is not a market,” he said.
“It’s the right of a consumer to have a proper bus-stand and bus service just like there is an airport for air passengers and a railway station for rail passengers. Many departments are not concerned about the consumers,” Martins observed.
The GOACAN volunteers who had gathered at the Mapusa bus-stand created awareness among the public on gas cylinders and use of ISI mark helmets.
Martins informed how some gas dealers who were removing gas from cylinders and filling it with water were taken to task in other parts of Goa.
He also said that certain dealers would charge money for gas regulators which are actually free.
“When we received complaints from people we followed it up and the dealers were forced to return the money,” he said.
The GOACAN coordinator also informed that every super market was supposed to have a weighing scale for consumers to check the weight of packed items.
He said the consumer awareness campaign will continue in other parts of the State till April 15.
