A new passenger shelter has been constructed at the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Transport bus stop at Bajiprabhu Chowk in east Dombivli, where commuters had been waiting in the open because the earlier shelter was too small and roadside encroachments restricted the space available to passengers.
The shelter was built through funding made available by local MLA and BJP state president Ravindra Chavan. Construction was carried out through a contractor after the necessary permissions were obtained from the administration, according to a report by Loksatta – Thane.
The Bajiprabhu Chowk stop serves KDMT routes towards MIDC, Dawdi, Khoni and Golavali. The report said many passengers prefer these buses because travelling to the same areas by autorickshaw involves a higher fare. As a result, the stop sees heavy passenger movement during the morning and evening peak periods.
Before the new facility was built, commuters had to wait in direct sunlight and rain. The earlier shelter was described as small, while unauthorised roadside stalls had narrowed the area around the stop. Food shops located beside the bus stop also attracted crowds, adding to the congestion faced by waiting passengers.
Passenger groups had raised the issue with the Kalyan-Dombivli municipal administration. The Milap Nagar Pravasi Sanghatana, Sudarshan Nagar Pravasi Sanghatana and other social organisations submitted letters seeking the removal of the unauthorised stalls around Bajiprabhu Chowk and the expansion of the bus shelter.
The issue was also pursued with the municipal administration and the KDMT through local resident Raju Nalawade, the report said. The groups argued that the stop was important not only because of the inconvenience faced by passengers but also because it served one of the larger flows of commuters travelling from Bajiprabhu Chowk towards MIDC.
The report said the stop generates significant revenue for the municipal transport undertaking, while passengers had continued to face inadequate waiting facilities. The completion of the shelter therefore addresses a gap between the stop’s operational importance and the quality of the public infrastructure available to its users.
The account does not specify the shelter’s construction cost, dimensions, capacity or whether a formal enforcement action has been completed against the roadside stalls. It also does not state whether the municipal administration has announced further improvements to pedestrian access, traffic management or passenger facilities around Bajiprabhu Chowk.
