A splendid idea: Converting Old Bus Stand to a Public Square

Sir,

I was immensely happy and very much impressed by KBG’s Choomantra in ‘Mysooru Mithra’ dated Nov.1, 2018, regarding the Private Bus Stand in Madikeri.

I am a regular reader of your paper in this town.

KBG’s suggestion of converting the Bus Stand to something like Trafalgar Square is a splendid idea. But unfortunately the people who are at the helm of affairs in this small town have something else in their mind and any suggestion given they turn a blind eye.

I am a practicing Consultant Dental Surgeon in this town for the past 49 years and my clinic is very much close to the Private Bus Stand. I don’t know whether you remember years ago the Private Bus Stand was a very small bus-stop with a compound wall and only a few buses used to enter and go out through an ‘ENTRY’ and ‘EXIT’ board. There was one “Popular Restaurant” under a zinc sheet kind of shed which was moved out to make the Private Bus Stand bigger.

After a few years, the local municipality with some unimaginable idea put up a shopping complex in the same place where “Popular Restaurant” existed. They renovated the old bus-stop to its present building. They didn’t stop there, behind the Bus Stand on the hillock side, they put up 10 to 15 advertisement hoardings by digging the adjacent land (which perished during the heavy rains this year).

Now, the present Municipal authorities have decided to put up a shopping complex to make it worse.  Our town, such a beautiful little town, which was full of greenery has become a concrete jungle because of bad planning and there is no breathing space. In the heart of the town (the present Municipality building), there was a “Coronation Garden” where elderly people used to come and spend their evenings peacefully. Sadly, this was bulldozed to create another concrete jungle.

Since you (KBG) wrote such a nice article in your paper and your suggestion was welcome, I hope those who are taking the decisions will do something better so that we the people of Madikeri are not suffocated. Our town has already lost its charm and glory, ONLY God help us.

– Dr. M. Anil Chengappa (Moodera), Madikeri, 3.11.2018

Note: The Kodagu District Minister S.R. Mahesh, who is also the Tourism Minister, has already taken note of my article in ‘Mysooru Mithra’ and held a meeting with officials to chalk out a plan to construct a tourist-friendly park and an attractive fountain at the said place in Madikeri where the old private Bus Stand existed.

Now it is for the local leaders to take it forward. By the way there is no guarantee, if another monsoon of this ferocity happens (God forbid), that the hillock here will not slide down and destroy the new commercial complex.— KBG

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