Bus operators have threatened to boycott the Vyttila Mobility Hub if the VMH Society (VMHS) and Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML) fail to complete the renovation of the dilapidated carriageway of the hub premises within a week.
The development comes in the wake of drivers and commuters complaining of having to endure a harrowing journey through the sprawling 25-acre VMH premises due to shoddy upkeep.
“The horrendous condition of the carriageway is causing damage to buses and other vehicles, while providing a bumpy ride to commuters. We have mulled a boycott of the hub in the coming days to drive home the point,” said George Joseph, whose fleet of buses pass through the hub multiple times everyday.
“Almost all of the few hundred buses, including mine, that pass through the hub each day have suffered damage in the form of broken leaf suspension. It also affects many other components, including that of the steering. Even worse is the plight of commuters, many of whom developed back ache and slipped disc after enduring the bumpy ride through the hub. The VMHS has also failed to clear weeds and tidy the premises, as a result of which it has become a hub for drug peddling and other illegal activities. It was just a week ago that a few persons who were suspected to be drug peddlers damaged the windscreens of two parked buses. Making matters worse, many CCTVs on the premises are dysfunctional,” he added.
K.B. Suneer, district secretary of Private Bus Operators’ Association (PBOA), feared that the condition of the hub would get worse in the coming days since Kochi had been getting pre-monsoon rains during the past few days. “The VMHS that hiked the entry fee for buses must reinvest funds to relay the carriageway and prevent waterlogging. We will be forced to boycott the hub since little was done although we submitted many memoranda to VMHS officials during the past year,” he said.
“It is shocking that the VMHS and the government are doing little to improve the condition of the mobility hub which is used by commuters of private and KSRTC buses, metro and Water Metro, who come from different districts,” said T.N. Pratapan, secretary of Vyttila Vikasana Samithi, a non-governmental organisation, that floated paper boats in its waterlogged entry a year ago as a mark of protest. “The apathy in clearing weeds and debris has resulted in snakes and other reptiles moving around on the premises,” he said.
Sources in CSML said steps had been taken to complete the ongoing renovation work of the hub’s carriageway within a week. The agency had been citing delay by the contractor as a reason for non-completion of works.
On their part, VMHS sources said they would take up the renovation and maintenance works, if there was any further delay on the part of CSML. The government ought to sanction it since the model code of conduct was in place, they added.
