The main town bus stand in Udhagamandalam is once again the focus of locals’ attention, as the bus stand, which was to be renovated and modernised as announced by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami earlier this year, has become riddled with potholes and dysfunctional toilets since rain hit the town a few months ago.
Passengers regularly using the bus stand said that the potholes had developed most prominently at the entrance and exit of the two bus stands, which make it extremely difficult for people to enter the bus stand, especially when it’s raining.
S. Vignesh, a resident of Kotagiri who works in Udhagamandalam, said that most passengers preferred to wait till the bus left the terminus and made its way onto the road before boarding. “This is dangerous, as the stretch of road is already quite crowded, and more people on the road means that there’s less space for vehicles to travel on,” he added.
J. Haldorai, Nilgiris district secretary of CITU, who along with other activists tried to plant saplings in the potholes a few days ago to try to draw the attention of the officials about the issue, said that the promises made by the Chief Minister when he announced that the bus stand would be modernised for a sum of ₹ 2 crore, had not been fulfilled.
The TNSTC tried haphazardly to fix the potholes a few days ago and dumped sand and mud in the bus stand, but the rain only made their hasty repair jobs worse, with the mud turning into sludge.
