Rourkela: Good to look at, small cubicle-like smart bus stands have been set up all over Steel City for the commuters’ ease. However, commuters, who are the end users, feel that these ‘smart’ bus stops are anything but smart. They lamented that no smart thought has gone into conceptualising these shelters. “No doubt they are very good-looking, rather smart looking. But that smartness is limited to the looks only, otherwise, they are not very helpful,” said an elderly woman Banaja Das of Koel Nagar. Her main complaint was that during heavy rain, the shelters are not able to save commuters from the shower. “I was almost fully drenched while waiting for the ‘Mo Bus’. Because the shelter was unable to protect those inside when there is slanted rainfall,” she said. Another person said, “Even the space under it is inadequate if there are large numbers of persons under its roof. And if you have cow or dog taking shelter from sun or rain, then space gets squeezed.”
However, the most practical criticism was regarding the platform created for the super elderly, sick, pregnant ladies and especially for the physically challenged. A ramp has been constructed in all these bus stops with proper steel bars to hold as support. However, what really causes the problem is the height of the bus shelter and the direction of the ramp. In most cases, the bus stop is at an inconvenient height for persons of all the four mentioned categories. Besides, the direction of the ramp is on the side of the stop. This is again another problem for these people to use it. “Why have you constructed the bus stops at such great height when one finds it difficult to use stairs back home,” said a septuagenarian Alibha Patnaik.
Most of them and even general commuters say that the height of the bus stops could have been reduced. “You have to construct one smart stop but where is the smart thinking? If the spot is at a height it could have been reduced,” made this point to another person at Chhend. Most of the elderlies’ observation was, “Had the height of the bus stops in most cases reduced a bit then the ramps could have touched the road and there would have been no problem in using it.” Besides, when this reporter visited some of the stops to take stock of the situation, it was found that the approach road to the ramp was yet to be cleared of garbage post-construction.
RAJESH MOHANTY, OP