Residents and activists of Sadashiva Nagar are crying foul over a bus shelter on Sankey Road that was allegedly removed two years ago to accommodate a petrol bunk owned by a multinational company.
They have written to authorities of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), urging them to restore the shelter at the earliest at a convenient location .
L.B. Nayak, an auditor and social activist, said the removal was causing inconvenience to commuters who were now forced to stand on the footpath a few metres away from the petrol bunk .
Mr. Nayak claimed that the bus shelter was earlier situated on the footpath just in front of the plot which now houses a petrol bunk. A large tree adjoining the shelter was felled to make way for the drive way to the petrol bunk, he alleged.
Also, on several occasions, BMTC buses did not halt at the designated bus stop owing to the absence of a bus shelter, said Mr. Nayak.
Ram Manohar, a daily commuter, told The Hindu that it was comfortable earlier with the bus shelter in place. “Now, buses stop only if they are waved down by waiting commuters. Besides, without a shelter, waiting for a bus in the rains pose a severe problem,” he lamented.
Manjunath Swamy, Assistant Commissioner, (Advertisement) BBMP, said they would act on any memorandum from the public and forward the same to the BMTC. A decision on building a bus shelter would be taken on the basis of a recommendation made by the BMTC, he added.
