Lack of facilities at Kalasipalya bus stand vexes commuters

BENGALURU: Registering more than 2 lakh footfall a day, the Kalasipalya bus stand is the second busiest terminus in the city after Kempegowda bus stand. Yet the one at Kalasipalya lacks basic amenities. And commuters will have to wait for another two years for things to turn around.

With only a quarter of development work over, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation has incurred the wrath of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, which parted with five-and-a-half acres of its land for the development work. The BMTC, however, asserts that revamp of the bus stand is under way. The construction work will be over in two years, said BMTC officials.

Lack of basic amenities like drinking water and clean toilets were among the common complaints from commuters on Sunday. About 1,260 buses make about 4,070 trips to different locations from this bus stand daily. “There is a toilet near the bus stand which belongs to BBMP, but it stinks and can’t be used,” said Mariappa L, a commuter.

On Saturday, corporators gave vent to their fury in front of BMTC officials at a BBMP council meeting. They said the bus stand remains undeveloped, regardless of their complaints. “In 2003, BBMP gave land to BMTC to develop this bus stand, but there has been no progress,” rued Prathibha Dhanraj, corporator of ward 119, Dharmaraya Swamy Temple.

BMTC, though, put forth its own argument. “We gave the BBMP 285 acres of land elsewhere in return for the Kalasipalya land. This is a huge price we paid for the five-and-a-half acres they gave us,” said Channabasappa, public relations officer, BMTC. He said construction work has already begun and will be completed soon. “The work will be over in two years and the bus stand will soon become a model for other bus stands in the city. It will have drinking water facility, good toilets and shelter,” said Ravindra Kumar, assistant traffic manager, Kalasipalya bus stand.