Commuters frequenting the new bus stand in Vellore from across the district, are in for a shock, thanks to the poor maintenance.
Except for the prompt announcement from the timekeeper’s office on the arrival and departure of buses and a Reverse Osmosis water plant, the bus terminus stands a testimony of neglect.
“Tax-payers’ money invested to help them have an easy commute seems to have been wasted by the local bodies,” says S. Vijaya, a school teacher from Brahmapuram in Katpadi. She pointed out that it is an important hub for State Transport Corporation and private buses in the town but is left unhygienic with a constant stink.
“The terminus caters to thousands of passengers travelling to the western parts of the State and Chennai every day. Although the facility has three pay-and-use toilet blocks, none of them are maintained properly,” points out Sreesh Raghavan, an IT professional from Thorapadi in Vellore. Moreover, the toilet block for physically challenged is kept under lock and key and they have to relieve themselves in the open, he regretted.
The scenario at the Old bus stand on Anna Road is no different. It serves more as a cowshed and private vehicle terminal than as a bus terminus. Although buses use the spot for taking turns, drivers are forced to stop their vehicles on the roadside for want of basic amenities. The residents urged the civic body to take measures to keep the area clean and prevent open urination.
When contacted, officials of the Vellore Municipal Corporation said efforts were being taken to improve maintenance and hygiene. Tenders have been finalised for taking up improvement works in the old and new bus stands at a cost of ₹38.24 crore under Union Government’s Smart City programme. The terminus will soon be modernised to match the facilities at the Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus in Koyambedu. With around 70,000 passengers using the Vellore new bus terminus everyday, the 8.79-acre area did not meet the growing needs of the commuters. On an average 1,500 buses used the facility, linking the neighbouring States of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The usually-crowded terminus tends to burst in its seams during the weekendswhen commuters who study or work in Chennai or elsewhere return home.