Eight months after the shelters for bus passengers were erected in Bidhannagar, they seem to have nothing to do with either buses or passengers. Most shelters are constructed in areas that do not cover any bus route. Subsequently, following the complaints of the local councillors, the work on the shelters has been temporarily stalled.
In October 2007, Bidhannagar Municipality had appointed Karukrit, an advertising agency, to initiate a beautification drive in the VIP township with focus on improved street lights and better bus shelters.
The municipality was keen to follow the Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority, which had appointed a similar agency to beautify the IT hub. The five-year agreement between the municipality and Karukrit required the agency to pay Rs 1.3 crore annually to the civic body.
The agency was to set up 900 illuminated kiosks to light up the streets and construct 125 passenger shelters. The agency has already erected theses facilities and installed various advertising boards on the kiosks and the shelters. The agency, however, has constructed the shelters in places that will attract maximum public attention, which do not necessarily fall on public bus routes.
There are six shelters surrounding City Centre in Saltlake and five surrounding CA island on the way to City Centre. Notably, one of the most important bus routes in Saltlake from Punjab National Bank to Baishakhi island has just three shelters for a stretch of more than three kilometers.
"The locations of the passenger shelters have been decided jointly by Karukrit and the Municipality. Since the contract has been given to an advertising firm, the business viability had to be kept in mind," said Nirmal Thakur, secretary Outdoor Advertising Association.
"Sector 1 seems to have been neglected the most," said Rajdeep Saha, owner of a shop near the Baishakhi bus stop. "We had a meeting with the agency and the local councillors on Thursday. The remaining shelters will now be located at mutually decided places," said Biswajeebon Majumder, chairman Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation.