Bus terminus turns a stinking port

BHUBANESWAR:Over a dozen dirty, tobacco-stained pillars support a concrete structure - the waiting hall. Beneath the roof are a few shops and surrounding the building are undulating, potholed pucca roads, overflowing drains and heaps of garbage here and there. All this is on a five acre plot that makes the Badambadi main bus terminus. The premier bus terminus of the State from where more than 500 passenger buses originate, plying through all major routes of the State, is in a pathetic state with hardly anything to please commuters. The area has a floating  population and important business establishments, including wholesale trading zones.Sources said there are as many as 42 urinals in the bus stand but sans any cleaning and maintenance work, many of these have been rendered unfit for use. Stray animals rummaging through garbage heaps inside the bus stand, rotting solid waste and passengers entering the terminus with their nose covered are a common sight. A proper drainage system inside the bus stand is non-existent. With virtually no cleaning job done, every inch of the bus stand remains dirty, stinking and slippery for most of the time in a day. Sources said a parking fee of Rs 15 is collected from every bus that enters the terminus daily by a private organisation that has been entrusted with the work. Following a High Court directive, it had been decided that of the Rs 15, while Rs 10 would go to the Orissa State Road Transport  Corporation (OSRTC), the remaining Rs 5 would be used for developing passenger amenities and upkeep of the bus stand. Accordingly, the total fees  amounting to aound Rs 3 lakh is handed  over to the OSRTC every month. However, passengers alleged that  there are no proper amenities inside the terminal. “One visit to the place is enough to gauge the cleaniliness measures being adopted. The bus stand is an eye sore with garbage strewn here and there and silt occupying a large area. Besides, every corner of the bus stand stinks,” said Kishore Rana, a passenger. Parking of buses too are erraticaly done owing to poor infrastructure. For the number of buses and the passengers that this terminal witnesses, the infrastructure is grossly inadequate. Over the years, the bus terminus has had no expansions though the number of buses passing through it have increased manifold. With the pressure on the terminus going up each day, many a time buses are seen parked on the roadsides leading to acute congestion and disruption of  vehicular movement.There are three entry routes to the Badambadi bus stand but two of these routes are replete with large potholes and are water-logged. The situation worsens during monsoon. Locals said knee-deep water accumulates inside the bus stand even if it rains for 10 minutes.Official sources said the problem of water-logging inside the bus stand arises frequently as the main drain, to which the drainage system in the bus stand is linked, is clogged. Besides, the height of the main road is higher than that of the bus stand due to which water gushes from the road to the terminus whenever it rains. The stagnant water subsequently, damages the road surface inside the bus terminus.District Transport Manager B B Das said all efforts are being made to clean the bus stand twice a day. Informing that the cleaning work has been outsourced, he said as per the government decision, ARSS Infrastructure Project Limited would shortly begin renovation work of the bus stand. “Apart from renovating the terminus entirely, the organisation would create passenger amenities like Yatri Nivas, market complex and rest sheds,” he added.On the cleanliness measures, he said, apart from development work that would be undertaken inside the terminus, there has to be an awareness among the passengers to keep the area neat. “Throughout the day, passengers in a bus can be seen throwing plastic packets, papers and other waste materials on the road. They also need to be conscious about keeping the place clean,” he said.Das informed that the Cuttack Municipality has been approached to install large garbage bins inside the bus stand so that passengers dump waste materials inside those bins and not on the road.In wake of the ensuing monsoon, the civic body has also been urged to clear the main drain to facilitate proper drainage inside the bus stand.