Approval for bus shelters comes under criticism

Sources say that the present Collector’s predecessors had objected to the erection of new shelters

December 22, 2016 03:04 am | Updated 03:07 am IST - COIMBATORE:

Illegal:  Former Collectors had in fact asked the Corporation to remove bus shelters that did not enjoy the Collector’s approval.

Illegal: Former Collectors had in fact asked the Corporation to remove bus shelters that did not enjoy the Collector’s approval.

The district administration’s decision to grant approval for erection of 75 bus shelters in the city and display advertisements in those has come under criticism.

The Collector T.N. Hariharan had on September 16 granted the approval.

Sources said the approval decision was on the wrong side of law as the shelters were illegal and that Mr. Hariharan’s predecessors had objected to the erection of new shelters.

Permission

They said that the civic body had sought permission for erection of 75 bus shelters and display advertisements in those. Former Coimbatore Collectors had denied permission and had in fact asked the Corporation to remove bus shelters that did not enjoy the Collector’s approval.

Those Collectors’ reasoning was that the decision to erect bus shelters fell only with in the transport officials’ domain and their as Regional Transport Authority.

The officials had to first assess the need for bus shelters, then propose the same, which they would approve of and then place before the Road Safety Committee for consent.

But in the case of the 75 bus shelters, none of this had happened. The sources said that the transport officers were in fact in the dark about the approval and so was the Committee.

This approval had come at a time when the district administration had asked the Corporation to remove illegal bus shelters in the city. An assessment by transport officers had revealed that there were 142 illegal bus shelters.

Even after the assessment, the number of illegal shelters had increased and the number could be around 200, they added.

Road Safety Committee member and consumer activist K. Kathirmathiyon said that the district administration’s efforts to purge illegal bus shelters and its battle with the Corporation in this regard had been so intense that the issue had even reached the State Chief Secretary.

It was at this juncture that Mr. Hariharan had approved the 75 shelters and he had reasons to believe that the Collector might not have had full facts and picture before him while taking the decision.

He should, therefore, rescind the decision and direct the Corporation to shift the illegal shelters, which were only adding to traffic congestion in the city.

Mr. Hariharan said that the Corporation had sought approval and he had granted the same.

He would revisit the issue, study the file and take an action that would be in conformity with the law.

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