Karnataka - Bijapur   

Rain adds to commuters' woes at bus stand

Staff Correspondent

Parking area at the bus stand has turned slushy

BIJAPUR: Overnight rain in the district has brought cheer to the people in general and farmers in particular.

There was widespread rain ranging between 20 mm and 82 mm in the past 24 hours and this is sure to boost rabi sowing. But, it turned out to be nightmare for the passengers at the old bus stand of North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation here.

Work on increasing the height of the parking area has been left half way. The pile of mud that has accumulated turned the area extremely Slushy, making it difficult for people to boarding and alight from buses.

The new bus terminus, built adjacent to the old one at a cost of over Rs. 4 crores, has been ready for almost three months. The authorities had ensured demolition of the old bus stand structure hoping that the new one would be inaugurated soon. It was slated to be opened by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on June 16. But nothing has bene done in the past three months. Water Resources Minister, K.S. Eshwarappa, who is also district in-charge Minister, announced on August 15 that the bus stand would be inaugurated before September 6. He was supposed to take up the issue with Mr. Kumaraswamy and Transport Minister Cheluvaraya Swamy. However.

Students organisations including AIDSO and ABVP held protests against the delay in the past two months. They even threatened to inaugurate the new terminus on their own. Some of the corporation officials said that passengers had been put to severe hardships. Even asphalting could not be taken up in the old bus stand parking area to avoid the area getting slushy, they said.

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