Sahnewal has no bus stop. The one built by NHAI six years ago no longer exists. What remains is a single concrete bench, which even drug addicts could not carry away. The rest was stolen piece by piece — thanks to the highly callous attitude of the Nagar Council, for whom the issue has been of no concern at all.
Leave aside the availability of toilets or drinking water, there is not even a roof overhead to protect passengers from the scorching heat or torrential rain.
“The problem is in no way small. On rainy days, passengers practically have no place to stand. The ordeal faced by them seems to be nobody’s concern. Having given up all hope on the council, passengers themselves arranged a polythene sheet and tied it to poles so that they could at least huddle under it during rains or unbearable heat,” said Davinder Chahal, a resident of the town.
The present situation is such that passengers have to stand on the drain between the highway and the service lane or undertake a risky boarding. “In the absence of a designated stop, bus drivers halt wherever they wish. Passengers therefore have to remain on their toes and position themselves where boarding may be most feasible,” said Harbans Singh Sains, a social worker.
Another social worker, Visakha Singh, rued that there have been several cases in which passengers, while attempting to board buses that had stopped at a distance, fell and sustained injuries ranging from minor to serious.
Senior citizens complain that they have raised the issue repeatedly over the years, but to no avail.
“A number of senior citizens suffer from knee problems. Climbing over the drain is next to impossible for me. Even if they somehow manage it, they are often unable to get down in time when the bus arrives. The lack of a platform has led to injuries, with elderly passengers slipping while trying to board. The bus drivers and conductors too are no less indifferent. They halt right on the highway and never wait for elderly passengers to get in,” said Gurpreet Singh Kairon, president of the Senior Citizens Association, Sahnewal.
The approaching monsoon is certain to worsen the situation, especially for students.
“There is no shelter. Our books and uniforms get soaked. Many students slip on rainy days. We stand in water while waiting for buses. Several of us have to return home because we cannot afford to attend college in wet clothes. Missing classes, especially at the beginning of the academic session, is all the more problematic. Our internal assessments as well as our daily lectures suffer,” rued Sarita, who boards a bus from Sahnewal to Doraha to attend college.
SDM Ludhiana (East) Jasleen Bhullar, when contacted, said the issue was very much in her notice.
“We are trying our level best to find a suitable location, but we have not been able to finalise one yet,” she said.
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