I am a regular passenger in the Panvel route and very much worried about the pathetic position of the Panvel Bus Stand. Both State Transport and the Asiad Buses are touching this spot. The frequency with which these buses touch this point for reporting and filling fuel made the bus stand most dangerous from the passengers point of view. There is no parking system for buses and the might is the right as the drivers take advantage of their experience as drivers to park their vehicles. There are near misses when the people wait in the Bus stand. Recently I had visited South India and all the major Bus stands in Mysore, Trivandrum and Coimbatore are all equipped with excellent facilities whereas Panvel Bus stand is in a very pathetic state. It is time revamp the Bus stand with modern facilities and do a world of good for the paying passengers to enjoy the best facilities.
The roads inside are to be properly laid for smooth flow of buses. The pot holes are to be filled up and concrete roads are to be laid to cater to the needs of thousands of buses coming and going from this focal point. Proper sheds are to be provided to keep the waiting passengers away from rain and shine. Hygienic eating outlets are required and public convenience is to be maintained in the best possible way in a busy bus stand like Panvel. NMMC and CIDCO should join hands and modernise the Panvel Stand by the year end of 2016. Let us not just bask in past performance and strive for excellence in maintenance as well. That is my clarion call.
S. Abhishek Ramaswamy
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
