JOIN USKiosks at bus stops, which Bruhat Bangalore Mahangara Palike (BBMP) hoped would provide relief to commuters, have much to its chagrin, discovered they are being used as toilets.
With “ample privacy” provided by these kiosks, people have been using them to urinate, raising a stink. As a result, the BBMP along with the advertising agency that maintains the shelter has been forced to get rid of them. It is learnt there are about 300 bus stops in the City which have kiosks.
According to Vantage Advertising Private Limited officials, people have been indulging in many unhygienic activities like open urination inside kiosks.
This was compromising the hygiene and posing threat to commercial advertising value of the shelter. “As a result, the Corporation and we have jointly decided to get rid many of these kiosks,” the officials said.
Vantage Advertising also confirmed it would be dropping the idea of sub-letting its kiosks to shopkeepers as it feared a further compromise on hygiene. If we sub-let it, there will be garbage like banana peels, cigarette butts and waste plastic generating around the shelters, they felt.
Brahmalingeshwara, a frequent commuter at Nimhans bus shelter, said that these kiosks were lying unused and provided appropriate privacy, so people made them potential toilets. The BBMP in 2009 decided to renovate many of its bus shelters on a design, build, finance, operate and transfer (DBFOT) basis under public private partnership. Under the scheme, various private entities were allowed to rebuild shelters in return of commercial advertising rights and a kiosk to sub-let for commercial purposes sharing a portion of the profit with the Corporation.
Despite the developments, BBMP Public Relation Officer Sharanappa said the process of conversion of various bus shelters to “kiosk type” would continue in City.