Kottarakkara: Passengers arriving at the private bus stand in Kottarakkara continue to face hardships, and are even forced to wait on broken slabs, as renovation of the facility has made little progress even four and a half years after he launch of works.

The ruling council of the Kottarakkara Municipality, as well as its engineering department, have drawn criticism for their apparent apathy in completing the works, leaving a bus stand that sees over a hundred buses pass through daily in a state of ruin. Construction had stalled for the first one and a half years due to technical issues, and even after work resumed, it soon came to a grinding halt.

Restoration efforts began during the tenure of former municipal chairman A Shaju, with ₹75 lakh sanctioned for the project. Finance Minister K N Balagopal and Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar jointly inaugurated the construction works, with assurances that the project would be completed within a year.

Municipal authorities attribute the prolonged delay to disagreements within the engineering wing, which has derailed the overall development of the bus stand. The area has also become a hotspot for anti-social activities after sunset, with poor lighting and non-functional streetlights adding to the hazards for commuters.