Meera Suresh By Express News Service KOCHI: On October 21, when heavy showers inundated Kochi, operations of the KSRTC bus terminal at Ernakulam came to a screeching halt. The majority of the 83 daily services were suspended, leaving the over 36,000 passengers who depend on KSRTC services stranded.Employees, who managed to get into the complex wading through the muck, struggled to accommodate themselves on higher grounds, while vendors inside the terminal complex watched helplessly as their goods floated around in thick black water. Such was the situation that the station master had to shift his office into a rusted bus parked nearby after his office got completely inundated. This is not an isolated incident. The KSRTC station in Ernakulam has been a picture of apathy for the past many years, but the last flooding put thousands, including commuters and over 700 employees, who depend on the place, in dire straits. Located at the heart of the city, the over four-acre station is a quintessential example of how resources can go waste, due to the mismanagement of authorities. While the dilapidated and dirty building poses a danger to the health of people who depend on it, the lack of facilities is the denial of a taxpayer’s basic rights. “Muck and septic waste were floating around in October. The blocked drain on the right side overflowed inundating the entire area. Not only we had to suspend the entire services, causing a loss of Rs 13 lakh, the health of passengers and staff were also in jeopardy,” said District Transport Officer V M Thajudheen. The enquiry counter at the bus station with dirty water pools around A grim picture The waiting area, though dirty, has a few seats (bus seats doubled up as chairs). But, most passengers opt to wait outside at the bus bay. Though it has been days since it rained, pools of dirty water still remain inside. The vendors inside detail their agony. “We pay over Rs 40,000 per month in rent to KSRTC. But, a light shower can drown our dreams. Last month, most of our stocks were drenched in the flood. Electrical items like refrigerator were damaged. This is what we get in return for paying such a heavy amount to the KSRTC,” says a vendor at the station. The KSRTC courier service, which was started with much fanfare, lies shut after the flood wreaked havoc in the office and goods. Amid the melee, the employees carry on with their work. Sreenivas who is in charge of Karnataka State Road Transport Service in Ernakulam, said, “Since waterlogging has been an issue for long, Karnataka RTC constructed a small bund in front of our office to stop water from getting inside. But, nothing could stop last month’s flooding. The situation was so bad that we stopped issuing tickets and only online bookings were accepted,” he adds. According to Jins V S, a conductor, this has been the work atmosphere for years. “We had a dengue outbreak among garage workers some years back. Another issue is the septic waste. The toilets here are used daily by over 1,000 people but the septic tank lacks the capacity. The tank itself was constructed higher than the bus bay. So, the water overflows to the lower ground to the waiting area,” added Jins. Though two bio-toilets were constructed a year ago, they functioned only for a week. A bus port? Hibi Eden, MP, recently proposed the idea of a Bus Port at the KSRTC terminal. The plan was to elevate Ernakulam KSRTC bus station into the status of a modernised Bus Port. The details of the project were submitted to Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari. But going by previous experience, nothing much would happen anytime soon, says an employee at the station. “We have been hearing this for long. See what happened to the new terminal at Karikkamuri. In two years, the building caved in. We don’t need super-speciality models. All we ask for is a clean building with enough basic amenities. The plan to make KSRTC complexes into a shopping zone didn’t work in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode too,” he added.

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