Will Ettumanoorappan bus bay in Kottayam get a new lease of life?

Ettumanoor: The Ettumanoorappan bus bay is almost on the verge of dilapidation with battered roof, untidy surroundings, no lights and the dangerous presence of stray dogs in the vicinity. Local residents have been urging to renovate the bus shelter which is used by hundreds of commuters on a daily basis. They have been requesting the authorities to at least arrange some lighting here. Various political parties too have organised protest marches to draw the attention of the authorities to the terrible state of the bus bay. However, the authorities have been turning a blind eye to all these demands and protests. The authorities are not willing to arrange temporary electricity connection or lightings even during the Sabarimala season. 

The Ettumanoorappan bus bay is located on the opposite side of the famous Mahadeva temple in MC Road. The leaky roof turns the bus bay into a muddy puddle during heavy rains. Besides, the bay becomes a hub of stray dogs when the day light begins to disappear. A broken iron pipe could be seen hanging precariously from the roof. The bus bay was constructed under the Harivarasanam project by spending Rs 10 lakh when Ettumanoor was a panchayat. The project had aimed to build a modern bus bay with all the facilities. 

The fund for the project was approved based on the recommendation of former district panchayat member Josemon Mundakkal. However, the bus bay soon became a point of contention due to political disputes. Meanwhile, the bus bay continues to be haunted by the apathy of the authorities. In the beginning, officials had promised to fix fan and lights in the bus bay. But, all these remained mere promises and nothing else. 

Multiple projects
Ettumanoor public development samiti and ward counsellor Bibeesh George had come up with new projects to revive the bus bay. It included projects for fixing and lights in the bay, opening a mini library, arranging drinking water, installing a TV and a maintenance contract of 10 years. Although these projects were discussed at the municipal council meetings, they were dismissed citing a legal case and dispute over the ownership of the bus bay. 

All party meeting
The all-party meeting convened by the public development samiti for formulating ways to protect and revive the Ettumanoorappan bus bay will be held at 4.30 pm tomorrow at Chenna Buildings. The meeting might discuss organising extensive protests as no action has been taken to renovate the bus bay despite submitting multiple requests. Samiti president B Rajeev will preside over the meeting.