Neglected bus shelters on Bhubaneswar NH-16 cause hardship for commuters

Passengers face severe inconvenience as there are no proper bus shelters along National Highway-16, from Pitapalli Square to the main road connecting Bhubaneswar. Local residents have demanded the construction of new shelters at bus stops, pointing out that the old ones have become dilapidated and useless.

As per reports, the existing shelters are of no service to passengers. Buses no longer halt in front of many roadside shelters. Instead, they have turned into cow sheds in some places, while in others, they have become evening hangouts for anti-social elements. Built with government funds, these bus shelters are failing to serve their purpose.

From Pitapalli Square under National Highway-16 to the entry point of Bhubaneswar, most bus shelters stand in a neglected state. Residents complain that many shelters were built at locations that were never actual bus stops, and as a result, buses don’t stop there. For years, these structures have remained abandoned and unusable. 

"The waiting sheds have not been constructed at proper locations and they are of no use. Only miscreants are found in those places, and some of those have turned into cow sheds. We demand two bus shelters-one from Gangapada to Bhubaneswar route and another in the Khordha route," said Bijay Kumar Maharathy, a local resident.

"Bus shelters have not been constructed at proper places. The administration should ask the local residents about proper places before constructing bus shelters," said Narahari Das, another local resident.

On National Highway 16, bus halting points and waiting sheds have been set up in separate locations, creating major inconvenience for daily commuters. Despite hundreds of passengers boarding and alighting buses at key junctions every day, proper waiting sheds are missing at several busy stops.

As a result, people are forced to stand under the scorching sun and heavy rain for long hours while waiting for buses. This issue is particularly evident at major junctions such as Pitatapalli, Gangapada, Talakheta, Bhuasuni, Janla, and Gohira squares under NH-16.

Residents from several nearby villages rely on these junctions for daily travel, but the lack of proper passenger shelters continues to cause difficulties.

"Bus shelters have been constructed around 800m- 1 km distance from the bus stoppages along the NH, and they are of no use to the people. Local residents and students are facing lots of difficulties during summer and rain. We request the government to construct permanent passenger shelters at places where the flyovers and overbridges end," said Pratap Kumar Sahu, a local resident.

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Responding to the situation, the Bhubaneswar Sub-Collector has assured that an inquiry will be conducted, and necessary steps will be taken to resolve the issue.

"We have not got any representation from people in this regard so far. If we get any representation from the people, we will verify and take necessary steps accordingly. We will discuss the matter with CRUT, and realignments will be done accordingly if necessary," said Bhubaneswar Sub-Collector Manoranjan Sahu.