Vijayanagar acquires air-conditioned bus stop, but commuters ask if that is priority
Even as Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda has stepped up efforts to clear footpaths of encroachments across the city, Priya Krishna, Govindarajanagar MLA, has
Even as Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda has stepped up efforts to clear footpaths of encroachments across the city, Priya Krishna, Govindarajanagar MLA, has come under criticism after an air-conditioned bus shelter was constructed on the footpath at the Vijayanagar bus stop. Bus commuters and local activists questioned the need for an air-conditioned bus shelter, alleging that public funds had been spent on a project that was not among the constituency’s priorities.
B.H. Veeresh and Ramu T. of Mahiti Hakku Adhyayana Kendra, Vijayanagar, told The Hindu that BMTC buses operate at frequent intervals from Vijayanagar to Majestic and several other parts of the city, with commuters rarely having to wait for more than five minutes. Given the high frequency of bus services, constructing an air-conditioned bus shelter amounts to a waste of public funds, they argued. The bus shelter, built by the Bengaluru West City Corporation, displays the names and photographs of M.
Krishnappa, Vijayanagar MLA, and his son, Priya Krishna, MLA, and is expected to be inaugurated shortly. The activists also claimed that two other civic projects at the bus stand at Vijayanagar have failed to serve their intended purpose. One of them is the underground air-conditioned Palike Bazar modelled on New Delhi’s Palika Bazar and built at a cost of about ₹14 crore. Only a handful of traders have been shifted from the service road to the market.
They demanded that all eligible traders be relocated to the facility so that footpaths/service roads can be freed. Locals said the pedestrian underpass constructed several years ago near the bus stop is seldom used, with most people continuing to cross the road at surface level. People allege that these projects were executed without adequate public consultation.
The BriefWire