With the expansion of Coimbatore Corporation limits by annexing the neighbouring local bodies, the civic body has identified 120 more bus stops that required shelters.
The Coimbatore city has eight arterial roads such as Tiruchi road, Pollachi road, Palakkad road, Siruvani road, Vadavalli Road, Thadagam Road, Mettupalayam Road and Sathyamangalam besides many other feeder roads of the Corporation that cuts across the length and breadth of the city.
And there are 250-odd bus shelters that are maintained by private parties in lieu of advertising rights. Invariably many of the shelters have been encroached upon by alms-seekers, hawkers and even used as parking lots.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Coimbatore Corporation S. Sivarasu the existing 250-odd bus shelters are due for renewal of maintenance contract by September end. The civic body has identified as many as 120 bus stops that required bus shelters.
There are 40 to 60 bus stops in the Corporation limits that required shelter and have not found a mention in the recent list of the bus stops. When asked, District Collector M. Karunagaran said that the official machinery will be asked take a list of such bus stops. Residents or institutions could always write to the Corporation and Collector seeking shelters at such places, he said.
Mr. Sivarasu also said that there was reluctance on the part of the advertising firms in bidding for shelters at remote places fearing inadequate advertisement mileage. He called upon corporate houses in the city could come up with offers for constructing and maintaining the shelters in return for advertisement mileage after paying a nominal fee to the civic body.
