Karnataka - Bijapur   

Bijapur bus stand waiting for Kumaraswamy

Staff Correspondent

Chief Minister yet to give a date for inaugurating the new complex

READY YET LANGUISHING: New bus stand building in Bijapur is ready, but its inauguration has to wait till Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy finds time.

BIJAPUR: Despite assurances by authorities concerned, there appears to be no early solution to the woes of passengers as the inauguration of the new bus stand has been postponed for want of an appointment by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy.

Whenever it rains, a big portion of the parking area in the old bus stand adjacent to new one gets waterlogged. The rest becomes slushy in the absence of asphalting. Sometimes, passengers have to wade through knee-deep water to board the bus. And their plight is the same while alighting from it. The low-lying bus stand is prone to water logging, thanks to the poor drainage system.

The main platform was dismantled to pave the way for building a new one in 2002 and it only added to the list of inconveniences. According to earlier schedules, the new bus stand was to be completed in one year but delayed for three years because of financial crunch. Barring minor finishing work, the first phase of the new bus stand had been ready for some time.

The North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation

(NWKRTC) wanted to inaugurate it before the onset of monsoon. It was hopeful that Mr. Kumaraswamy would inaugurate it on June 16 because he was to visit Bijapur on that day for opening the National Track Cycling Championship. The authorities were hoping that Transport Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy would inaugurate it but the latter was keen that Mr. Kumaraswamy should do it.

Authorities claim that the bus stand, built at a cost of Rs. 6.6 crore, is second only to the Kempe Gowda Bus Stand in Bangalore in terms of facilities.

Apart from modern comforts, it has a few rest rooms exclusively for women, and drivers and conductors. There is a special service desk for the disabled and senior citizens. NWKRTC has spent Rs. 4 crore on the bus stand in the first phase.

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Bijapur bus stand waiting for Kumaraswamy

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