By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: There is a demand for bus stand in various routes of the town. Commuters from these routes said that there are no proper bus stands in places like Laban Main Road, Lumparing, Anjali Petrol Pump, Rynjah etc. and if there is any it is only on one side of the road.
A commuter from Laban said that the authority must put in place a bus stand with proper structure and seating arrangements in place near Batti Bazar, Laban which happens to be the embarkation and disembarkation point. “What happens now is that commuters have to stand on the roadside since there is no bus stand in place,” said the commuter. Another resident of Raid Laban said that bus frequency in this route is less and more often it takes a long wait to board a bus. “So, bus stands in areas where the bus is likely to halt is needed,” said the elderly lady.
Another resident of Nongrim Hills said that though the Khyndailad – Laitumkhrah – Fire Brigade route has numerous bus stands in place with seating arrangements but the same is not seen in other routes of the town. “There are very few bus stands on both sides of the road from Mawiong to Rilbong Point and then again from Fire Brigade onwards,” he said. Many residents of the town pointed out that with increasing vehicles it has becomes dangerous in certain traffic snarls to wait for vehicles. Commuters have also demanded display of rate cards in each of these bus stands along with their routes and route numbers. “Though there is an electronic plate that indicates the bus route and number but in most buses the same is not functioning,” said one working lady. Like her an executive of a private firm said that the electronic plate should be placed on the backside of the bus, too for public viewing.
Meanwhile, tourists have expressed surprise over the unavailability of drinking water in various important tourist spots in the city and outskirts. They said that such a facility must be in place since Shillong is a tourist destination. “What I feel is that the authority here must put in place the scope for drinking water with certain government logo as seen in other cities, though many tourists these days carrymineral water while travelling,” said a tourist from Chattisgarh.