Even as the city boasts of new electric buses under PM e-Bus Sewa, the main yard where these buses operate tells a story of neglect. Mor Bhavan from where State Transport and NMC City Buses operate is in the heart of city but is now turned into a minefield of craters, putting thousands of daily commuters and drivers at risk. The affected stretch is not a by-lane but entire internal circulating area plus entry-exit road of the stand. It handles city buses and MSRTC’s long-route buses. The road surface has completely deteriorated, leaving behind deep trenches, exposed aggregate and uneven patches. The ground reality is quite stark and the story is not of today but reflects deep rooted mess as authorities are at ease even as commuters suffer.

 

The central walkway where passengers move to board buses has a large, deep pit filled with stagnant water and plastic waste. Elderly women, students and office-goers are forced to walk through slush and loose gravel, with no proper footpath in place. At the main entrance, the MSRTC gate itself is tilted and broken, with its iron fencing collapsed on the side, while low-floor electric buses, including Route 135 to Hingna, attempt to enter through the damaged stretch, which indeed is a risky venture. Adding to the chaos is complete absence of signages at Mor Bhavan. There is not a single signboard for commuters to guide them to where city buses halt and where MSRTC buses halt for various routes of Nagpur city and those travelling to different places in Vidarbha.

 

visit to Mor Bhavan revealed that passengers are left confused, running from one end to the other asking drivers and vendors where their bus will come. Regular commuters said the situation has become unbearable. ‘I come here every day to catch a bus to college. There is no proper place to stand, the entire yard is filled with water and potholes. We have to jump over craters with our bags, and during rains, we cannot even judge how deep the pit is. It is very risky,’ said Nikita Gade, a student and a daily commuter. Long-distance travellers are equally troubled: Another regular traveller to Amravati and Chandrapur said, there is no board to inform where the buses for other cities will ply. Buses come through broken roads and brake suddenly inside the stand.

 

With luggage in hand, it is extremely difficult for senior citizens like us,’ said Ramakant Pandey, a regular traveller. Another traveller said the yard was never properly resurfaced after monsoon and patchwork, if done, has already worn out. Citizens have urged the authorities to immediately repair the stretch, install clear route-wise signage for City Bus and MSRTC services, and conduct a quality audit of the internal roads. With festival rush approaching, commuters fear that unless durable repairs are undertaken, Mor Bhavan will soon become an accident-prone spot.