’Dindigul bus stand is an example of how a bus stand should not be functioning’ commuters say

Dindigul bus stand has six entrances/exits, catering to 1000 government buses and 1 lakh passengers per day. Poorly lit, unclean, unsafe, no cloakroom, no shelter, encroachments and littering plague the bus stop. Renovation proposal sent to govt., moffusil bus stand announced.

Dindigul is the only corporation that boasts of having a bus stand that has six entrances that also function as exits. This creates chaos within the bus stand, with commuters running helter-skelter as some buses make their way in, while others use the same route to exit. Not just for the floating population to the terminus, even for regular commuters it is a tight balancing act getting in and out of buses..

The bus stand caters not just to town buses but also to mofussil buses going to Palani, Tiruchi, Kodaikanal and to cities down south. On an average daily around 1000 government buses come into the bus stand with a daily passenger traffic of more than one lakh during Kodaikanal season and Palani temple festival. Even the route taken by the buses from the National Highways to reach the bus stand within the Dindigul corporation limits is a narrow stretch with residential areas on either side.

Inside the premises the bus bays have been encroached to such an extent that some eateries also provide seating arrangements on this space. Littering is evident everywhere and almost all nooks have turned into a cesspit and are filled with broken liquor bottles. Consumer activist Rajesh Kannan, says that though there are 48 surveillance cameras, they are not in working condition due to poor maintenance.

“There are many stretches that are poorly lit and at night these areas turn unsafe for women passengers,” he adds. Some commuters say that chain snatching and theft is a common occurrence in the bus stand premises. Stationing of women police personnel is a must, they add.

With no proper cloakroom facilities, passengers travelling long distances have a tough time guarding their luggage. One cannot even enter the free restrooms for not only are they unclean but at night they turn into a joint for drug addicts, Mr. Kannan says and adds that the ones that are charged are locked during night time. One part of the shopping complex at the bus stand that faces the Collector’s camp office has been locked due to legal issues. This portion has become a haven for destitutes and mentally challenged can be seen lying there in squalor.

Sixty-year-old Gunaseeli, a passenger, says that she dreads coming to the bus stand as there is no place even to sit and during the rainy season there is no shelter. “It is a good example of how not a bus stand should be,” she says.

Steps being taken