Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Wait at this bus stand at your own risk

Anasuya Menon

It is a haven for beggars who eat, sleep and smoke there

TERRIBLE HEAP: Garbage lies piled up behind the bus stand that is located opposite the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital. — Photo: K. Ananthan

COIMBATORE: Waiting at the bus stand opposite the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital can be a harrowing experience, if not armed with a handkerchief or several packets of tissue paper.

The sharp stench of urine combined with that of rotting garbage accumulated in a corner of the bus stand lingers in the air, making the wait excruciating for commuters.

The shelter provided at the stand does not offer much of a solace to the commuters for it is a haven for beggars who eat, sleep and smoke there. Sometimes, even minor scuffles break out among them, much to the chagrin of those waiting for the bus.

Open drain

Half-opened food packets are strewn on the ground, attracting swarms of flies.

Several small time eateries and shops around the bus stand find it convenient to dump waste in the stand. Also, the shops in the building at the centre often treat it as their backyard with an open drain facing it.

The bus stand comes under ward No. 25 of the Coimbatore Corporation.

Some of the Corporation officials feel that even though regular mass cleaning programmes are undertaken, patients who go to the hospital, contribute to making the place unhygienic by dumping wastes and urinating inside the stand.

Proposal

S. Ramamoorthy, Assistant Commissioner, South Zone, says a proposal has been submitted to the City Engineer to construct urinals and toilets in the bus stand and is awaiting sanction, he adds.

As soon as the project is sanctioned, the mass cleaning programmes will be intensified in the bus stand, says N. Raghupathy, Corporation Health Commissioner.

The lack of proper toilet facilities is one of the major problems in the area and a solution in this regard will soon be found, he adds.

Private parties or social welfare organisations can also construct the urinals/toilets. The Corporation will see to it that they are maintained well, Mr. Ramamoorthy says.

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