Kothagudem: Yellandu residents demand new bus stand over safety concerns

Residents of Yellandu have demanded a new bus stand, citing safety concerns after chunks of concrete fell from its roof slab. They said the 45-year-old facility is in poor condition and urged the government to undertake repairs or construct a new one.

Kothagudem: The residents of Yellandu town in the district have been demanding that the Congress government take immediate steps to repair the TGRTC bus stand in the town.

The bus stand, built four and a half decades ago, is in a dilapidated condition, posing a threat to passengers. A couple of weeks ago, chunks of concrete fell from the roof slab onto the passenger seating area during late-night hours and caused alarm.

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Passengers had been sitting in those very seats until moments before. Just after they stood up and moved towards their arriving bus, the concrete chunks crashed down with a loud noise. Fortunately, no one was injured.

Officials must now respond regarding passenger safety, thoroughly inspect the bus stand building and immediately repair the hazardous slabs. The government should either carry out repairs or construct a new one, the residents noted.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Telangana Rajaka Sangham leader Kancharla Srinivasa Rao of Yellandu posed that if the incident recurred and someone’s life was endangered, who would be held responsible.

He said the bus stand, inaugurated on April 9, 1981, by the then TSRTC chairman N Sreenivasulu Reddy, has been badly damaged over the past 45 years. The residents have raised the issue with successive governments but in vain.

The RTC officials and the local MLA Koram Kanakaiah should respond immediately and take appropriate action. A new spacious bus stand should be built in place of the existing one, Srinivasa Rao demanded.

It may be recalled that the previous BRS government had built and inaugurated a modern bus depot at the bus stand in August 2023 for the convenience of the people of Yellandu by spending Rs 3.75 crore. It was planned to renovate the bus stand, but the government changed.