No room for cover, no directions

Commuters have to bear with heat and rain as 3,675 of the 4,913 bus stops in the city don't have shelters and 1,840 don't have signboards

No room for cover, no directions

Commuters have to bear with heat and rain asu00a0 3,675 of the 4,913 bus stops in the city don't have shelters and 1,840 don't have signboards

After being persistent for two years and badgering the government for statistics on bus stops, Jugal Rathi, RTI activist and president, PMP Pravasi Manch, is convinced that the authorities are not concerned about the hardships faced by commuters.

Out of the 4,913 bus stops in the city, 3,675 don't have shelters and 1,840 don't have signboards. "These statistics reflect the apathy of the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) authorities towards commuters. In the absence of shelters, commuters are forced to brave the heat and the rains," said Rathi.u00a0

He had first filed an application on May 4, 2007, seeking information on the number of bus stops in the city without signboards and shelter. When he didn't get any response, he had to forward two appeals to the PMPL authorities and then had to bring the matter to the notice of the Information Commissioner (IC). Added Rathi, "The state IC then wrote a letter to PMPL authorities and directed them to provide all the necessary information in the interest of citizens."

Need directions
Manoj Deshpande, a software professional who travels to his workplace at Hinjewadi by bus, emphasised on the need for signboards. He told MiD DAY, "For outsiders visiting the city, signboards are essential since they indicate the various routes taken by the buses." He compared such a facility in Western countries and added, "In foreign countries, the digital display on buses informs commuters about the next stop. A similar facility should be implemented here."

Prashant Dhopavkar, another techie, explained, "Most bus stops in the city don't have shelters and hardly 10 per cent have signboards. This creates a major problem for commuters."

"Many a times, bus drivers halt their buses way ahead of the stops, forcing commuters to run frantically behind the bus,"u00a0 he added.

Mere excuses
When asked about the issues, Tribank Dharurkar PMPML CEO, said, "Many signboards on electric poles have disappeared because of a road-widening project. We plan to install 1,700 signboards at various stops in three months."

"We have conducted a survey on bus shelters. We will soon float tenders for advertisers to construct bus shelters on 175 locations," he informed.