Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Mar 21: The people of the city have been eagerly awaiting the inauguration of the well-equipped KSRTC bus shelter that has come up at Bannanje here.  The earlier bus shelter for the government buses has become very old and dilapidated. It looks like a shelter meant for the drunkards, destitute, and unscrupulous elements. Because of lack of maintenance, the area also stinks.

In addition to the KSRTC buses, private buses also stop there. As such, many a times, the drivers face problems in negotiating buses there. Therefore the city was facing a need for a shelter with all the facilities. With the new bus shelter at Bannanje, this void has been filled.

Works on the Bannanje bus shelter have been completed and it is ready for inauguration. People are awaiting it eagerly. Sources said that the chief minister was expected to visit the city to take part in the Paryaya festival of Krishnapur Math but at the last minute, it was  dropped because of Covid restrictions. Otherwise the inaugural would have happened in January this year.

The bus shelter has come up in 2.5 acres of land belonging to the public works department. The building is four storeyed and there is parking space in the underground. About 64 cars and two-wheelers can be parked here. In the next storey, 18 buses can use the shelter at a time. There is also space for parking about a 100 buses. The building is also equipped with two escalators and a lift.

Sources said that the other floors will be used to house offices and commercial purposes. Even though the work on the shelter had commenced in 2018, because of covid and other reasons, its pace was affected. At present, 271 buses ply to various destinations from this shelter.

The building has been constructed at a cost of about Rs 29.95 crore. Judging by size, in the coastal region, this is the largest bus shelter but for the one at Mangaluru. This building was built in tune with the long-pending demand of the citizens. The people want to know from the department why the building is left without  an inauguration thus depriving the general public of the chance to use it, after spending so much money.