Feroke: A silent danger looms over the municipal bus stand, where falling chunks of cement plaster have turned the ageing structure into a hazard for commuters.

Concrete from the beams has cracked and splintered in several places, with fragments left dangling overhead. Slabs could give way without warning while sections of the sunshade have already crashed to the ground more than once. Yet, comprehensive measures to safeguard passengers remain elusive.

The most severe damage is seen on the Kadalundi Road side, where buses to Kunnathupalam, Paruthippara and Puthekad halt. Here, the roof plaster has almost entirely peeled away. The pillars around which passengers gather are in a particularly precarious condition. Cracks have surfaced along the roof and walls and those running through the walls continue to widen. Although the municipality undertook temporary repairs after earlier portions of the roof collapsed, the bus stand building still stands in a state of neglect and danger.

34 years old and crumbling
The Feroke bus stand complex, constructed in 1992, has now weathered 34 years. Built by the then panchayat with funds from the State Rural Development Board, it was designed as a bus stand cum shopping complex facility. Currently, sixteen shops operate within the building and along its rear side. Toilets function on either side, while banks and other establishments occupy the ground floor.

Around 160 buses pass through the stand each day, making it a vital transit hub. Yet, visible cracks have developed along its walls, leading to structural weakening and heightening safety concerns.

Darkness after dusk
For several months, the lights at the bus stand have remained out of order. Once the shops shut for the day, the premises are enveloped in darkness while carelessly hanging electrical wires add to the risk.Despite repeated complaints to municipal authorities, no concrete steps have been taken. With officials failing to intervene, the poorly lit stand has increasingly become a gathering spot for anti social elements at night.

Promised every year, delivered never
Year after year, the municipal budget makes a customary announcement on rebuilding the bus stand cum shopping complex. The proposal. however, has remained confined to documents, with no tangible progress on the ground.

The previous municipal council had drawn up a Rs.23 crore draft project for reconstructing the ageing structure and submitted it to the Urban Infrastructure Development Fund Board. However, the plan ran into difficulties owing to stringent conditions attached to the funding. The stipulation that the sanctioned amount be repaid within five years proved a significant stumbling block.

With that option stalled, the municipality is now searching for alternative avenues to raise the resources needed for the long overdue reconstruction.