Bus stand in mess

The one and only main bus stand in Malleshwaram stands with age-old roof and broken stone seats, forcing people to stand waiting for bus.

The bus stand at the 18th Cross rightly explains the time when it was constructed with no maintenance having taken place since then. A small roof and seats of stone below are the only amenities available at the bus stand.
Making all the commuters stand on the road, it is hardly noticed by anyone except by the youngsters. With a roof which can fall anytime, the so-called bus shelter for the commuters is very small. "The authorities have hardly done any maintenance for this bus stand. We have been seeing this condition for years. If it rains, the only option we have is our umbrellas or the nearby shops. The built-up area is so small that very few people can occupy it. The roof leaks when it rains and hence it's better to stand by the side of shops than under that roof," said Nirmala, a regular commuter of the area.
The only places for the commuters to sit are the tiny seats made of stone surrounding the shelter which can hardly accommodate 10 people. These seats also have developed cracks and the edges are broken on all sides. "The condition is really disappointing. There is no proper place for the commuters to wait for the bus. The negligence of the authorities cannot be justified.  There is only one small shelter with some old stone seats and no other facilities have been provided for many years," said Krishnamurthy, a resident of 18th Cross.
According to some commuters, most of the buses skip this main bus stand. With a signal next to the stand, they are only seen stopping when the signal turns red, making the commuters come to the road to catch the buses. With neither a proper shelter nor proper co-ordination by the bus drivers, the situation has turned out to be very tiresome for the commuters.
With the BBMP officials have already washed their hands of the problem stating that maintenance of the bus stand comes under the jurisdiction of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC). "The seats and amenities at the bus stand are to be maintained by the BMTC. We are not responsible for it," said a BBMP engineer.
Even as the BMTC is offering wonderful services with their innumerable buses on different routes, the old bus stands are ignored. Though new bus stops are cropping up with better seating facilities, the older ones are neglected.
When contacted, Vijayakumar, Officer-in charge-Malleshwaram, BMTC, said: "The maintenance of the bus stand and the traffic management near it does come under our jurisdiction. We have not yet received any complaint about the bus stand in Malleshwaram, but now we will surely look into the matter and take appropriate action."

Where buses rarely stop
According to some commuters, most of the buses skip this main bus stand. With a signal next to the stand, they are only seen stopping when the signal turns red, making the commuters come to the road to catch the buses.

--SUCHITHRA PILLAI