Well-maintained bus shelter with mini library, clean public toilets make for pleasant travel through Udupi’s Bajagoli

Clean bus shelter in Bajagoli village, Udupi district, offers books, fans, and well-maintained toilets for travellers.

Those travelling by bus from Sringeri to Dharmasthala and vice versa will be pleasantly surprised upon seeing a cleanly maintained bus shelter that also has ceiling fans at Bajagoli village in Karkala taluk of Udupi district.

If they have some time to catch a connecting bus, the travellers could also flip through books neatly kept in an almairah at the bus shelter by the jurisdictional Mudar Gram Panchayat (GP).

Bajagoli headquartering Mudar GP is a small village with a population of about 7,000 located on the Udupi-Kukke Subrahmanya State Highway 37 between Karkala and Guruvayanakere. Mangaluru-Solapur National Highway 169 that merges with SH 37 at Pulkeri in Karkala branches out towards Sringeri at Bajagoli.

As there are very few direct bus services between Sringeri, Kalasa, Kudremukh and Dharmasthala, tourists get down at Bajagoli to catch connecting buses either towards Dharmasthala or towards Sringeri. Thus, the small village witnesses considerable footfalls.

Mudar Panchayat President Shruthi D Athikari told The Hindu that some books from the Panchayat library were kept at the bus shelter for the travelling public. Panchayat Development Officer (PDO) S. Ramesh said the GP, with the support of the Karkala Taluk Panchayat, has provided the library facility as hundreds of travellers spend some time waiting for buses at Bajagoli.

The Mudar GP has also been maintaining proper hygiene at the toilet facility for men and women behind the well-kept bus shelter. Mani Shekhar, who was travelling from Dharmasthala to Sringeri on Thursday, December 26, said he was happy to see a spotless public toilet facility near the bus shelter.

Mr. Ramesh said though regular employees were yet to be appointed for maintaining toilets, the Panchayat was getting the job done through daily wage workers. The condition of public toilets reflect on the image of the village and hence the Panchayat takes every step to keep it clean, he said. Ms. Athikari said the workers also maintain the highways passing through the village sparkling clean.