Karnataka - Bangalore   

Air-conditioned bus shelter in disuse

Losing proposition: The air-conditioned bus shelter near Cubbon Park in Bangalore.

BANGALORE: Talk about being at the wrong place at the wrong time. The much-ballyhooed air-conditioned bus shelter on Kasturba Road near Cubbon Park, which was thrown open on December 15, has hardly any takers.

The shelter, a public-private partnership venture, claimed to offer respite from the dust and smoke.

Today the Airtel-sponsored shelter, inaugurated just three weeks ago, wears a deserted look right through the day. “Hardly two or three people sit there. I have seen just around 15 people use it at the most,” said a groundnut hawker who conducts business in the area.

A commuter hovering nearby observed what a waste it was, particularly when the State was coping with the power shortage. So why was he not using the shelter?

The answer is all too obvious.

The area already has a couple of regular bus shelters and moreover, buses stop a good 20 metres away. “I know it is an air-conditioned shelter. But my bus stops here, and not there. No buses stop near that shelter,” said a commuter who travels to Whitefield every day.

More than the location, the intricacies involved in getting in and out of the shelter also appear to have kept people at bay. Every time one has to slide the glass door to get into or out of the shelter. “By the time I notice my bus and get out the shelter, it would have whizzed past,” said another commuter. He added: “When we get buses every five or 10 minutes, the fact that it is an air-conditioned does not matter.” A watchman keeps an eye on the shelter and also monitors the temperature inside. “Everyone is welcome. We don’t stop anybody from entering the shelter unless they are drunk as they might damage the glass,” he added.

When contacted, an Airtel spokesperson said if the shelter evoked poor response, they might consider putting up such air-conditioned utilities in remote locations where people might need them.

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