Commuters standing in the open due to lack of shelter at GH Roundabout bus stop in Erode in Tamil Nadu on May 18, 2024
| Photo Credit: M. Govarthan
A situation that remained unchanged for many years is that most of the bus stops in the city and outskirts do not have shelters as commuters were forced to wait under scorching sun or get drenched in rain.
Major bus stops in the city — Panneerselvam Park, Meenatchi Sundaranar Road, GH Roundabout, Teachers Colony, Surampatti Four Road Junction, Railway Station, Soolai, Solar, Manikoondu, Kanirowther Kulam, Karungalpalayam, Rangampalayam, Veerappanchatiram, Thindal and many others — lack shelter and seating facility. Temperatures that remained over 36 degree Celsius from February to April this year touched a maximum of 44 degree Celsius on May 2 while it continued to hover between 40 and 42 degree Celsius in the last two weeks.
In the absence of rain and prevailing heatwave conditions, commuters, particularly college students, office goers and daily wage earners, wait in bus stops to board buses to reach their destinations. “Waiting for buses under the scorching sun during the afternoon is really difficult,” said M. Kannan at the GH Roundabout bus stop on Perundurai Road. At a few bus stops, commuters take shelter under the shade of trees and shops, while in other bus stops they are forced to stand in the open. “It is difficult even to stand for 10 minutes in the open,” said V. Kamalam, an elderly woman at Poondurai Road.
While most of the bus stops lack shelters, a few shelters that were removed during road widening works were yet to be installed. “In the absence of chairs, elderly persons and patients outside the Government Headquarters Hospital face hardship while waiting for the bus,” said T. Dhanapal from Sivagiri. “Shelter at bus stops is a basic amenity that has been lacking for many years,” he said and wanted all bus stops to be equipped with shelters. Commuters pointed out the problem is perennial and urged authorities concerned to act at the earliest.