Not Smart! ‘MCC Smart City Bus Shelter’ is Now an ‘MCC Smart City Garbage Shelter’?
Mangaluru: If you go around the so-called “SMART CITY”, you will notice that wherever there is a need for a Bus Shelter, there is none-however, looking at the SMARTNESS of our so-called Engineers and Contractors, there are a few places, you will find Three or Two Bus Shelters nearby to each other- and the funny part is that Commuters have a wide choice as to which bus shelter to use? Crazy but true- and that is the stupidity of the Smart City Development Project officials. But all is not well for those who wait for public transport in the city. Sun or rain, the commuters have to brave it out as major bus stops here lack bus shelters. Diminishing the importance of pedestrian safety measures and widened roads, people wait on roadsides and footpaths for buses. And hundreds of commuters travelling to their respective destinations are forced to stand under the scorching sun, and during monsoons get wet.
On the other hand, as part of the Smart City Development Project, a bunch of Smart Bus Shelters have been constructed, and that too near existing old bus shelters-for example- across from Padua School/College, even though two bus shelters already exist, a Smart Bus Shelter exists. and the funny part is that no commuter is using it, except for homeless people, and stray dogs- and now it has become a dumping shelter for garbage, while the Pourakarmikas are on their tenth day of the strike. How Smart our Officials of Smart City could be in implementing such projects which are not utilized by commuters?
With a huge sign inside this bus shelter which reads “Swachh Bharat Swasth Bharat”, and on one corner of the sign we are seeing a pile of waste- what a perfect example to match the sign. And right above this heap of garbage, there is a LED board, which has a moving message on it saying, “Welcome to Mangaluru Smart City”. It would be better if they change the words to “Welcome to Mangaluru Garbage City”?. While lots of greenery with a bunch of plants planted by environmentalist Jeeth Roche lie behind this Bus Shelter, unfortunately, we are seeing filth inside the “Swachh Bharat, Swasth Bharat” Smart City Bus Shelter. What a shame!
Greenery behind the Smart City Bus Shelter, while the Bus Shelter is filled with Garbage?
Travelling in a City bus in the city may not be a pleasant experience for many. But, it pales in comparison to the inconvenience commuters waiting for buses are subjected to, and more than that waiting for the bus in sun/rain with no bus shelter. Lack of pedestrian access, the need to stand on roads to wait for a bus and high accident risk are some of the problems often cited by passengers. The lack of bus shelters adds safety concerns to their woes. Where bus shelters are needed where commuters wait for their buses, there are no bus shelters- but where there are no commuters, bus shelters exist, just like this one, near Padua College, which is now a garbage shelter. What a joke and what a waste of taxpayers’ money! The traffic police are supposed to authorize the citing of the shelters based on these guidelines, but this is not followed.
