More than 75 families in Akuni village along Kalhatti Ghat Road, dependent on the TNSTC buses to take them to the Sigur plateau where many work in farms, are forced to take cover under shrubs, trees and even unused concrete pipes left along the stretch as there is no bus shelter built along the route.
The residents here said that many of the residents in and around their villages work as farmhands in the Sigur plateau, while many also have to travel to Udhagamandalam town to work and also to run errands. However, as buses along the route are sporadic, with people sometimes having to wait for anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour for a bus, they said that the construction of a small shelter along the main road would ensure that their waits are a lot more comfortable.
A. Manikandan, a resident of Akuni village, said that buses plying six major routes stop at the Akuni Junction, where people wait by the side of the road. He said that as the bus stopped along a very steep section of the Kalhatti Ghat, it was dangerous for people to wait by the side of the road.
“The cars, lorries and other vehicles descend the ghat road very quickly, and we feel very exposed to traffic and to the elements. A proper bus shelter, built on one side of the road will be very helpful for the residents here,” said R. Valli, waiting for a bus to Masinagudi.
