Thodupuzha: It's supposed to be a place of refuge for weary commuters. But the bus waiting shelter at Vengallur junction, on the road to Kumaramangalam, is empty. Thanks to a flawed design and poor planning by the municipality, the structure now stands deserted, gradually turning into little more than a concrete scarecrow.

Constructed away from the actual bus stop and tucked inside a side road, the shelter is almost invisible to first-time commuters. Even those who manage to locate it are reluctant to step inside. The interior is pitch dark, and once seated inside, passengers can not even see approaching buses.

In contrast to standard practice, in which bus shelters are built close to the road with clear visibility, this one is hidden from view. Only regular commuters are aware of its presence. For others unfamiliar with the locality, finding it is a challenge and using it is even harder.

To make matters worse, the front of the shelter, which was originally open, has now been sealed off with grill doors. The only way in or out is through a narrow side entrance. According to the ward councillor, the grills were installed to curb the menace of anti-social elements misusing the space.

But the move has backfired. Instead of making the shelter cleaner or safer, it has turned it into a dark, claustrophobic space. There’s no lighting inside, and the floor is littered with dirt and waste.

With the shelter closed from all sides and barely functional, commuters now wait for buses under the open sky, even if it's raining. Their frustration is mounting, and they have now begun to ask why public money is being wasted on shelters that people can’t even use.

The public is also now demanding that the shelter be redesigned or relocated so it can actually serve its intended purpose.