Crack in expansion joint at Shivajinagar bus station raises concerns

Bengaluru: A cracked beam in the expansion joint of the ceiling at the Shivajinagar bus station has triggered concerns of collapsing and possible risks ahead of the monsoon among commuters. 

Built nearly two decades ago, the bus station is one of the busiest in Bengaluru. 

While the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) operates buses from the ground floor, the first floor is a busy parking lot for four-wheelers and two-wheelers. 

Several passengers waiting at the bus station DH spoke to were concerned that the cracked beam across platforms 11, 7 and 3 could trigger a collapse of the entire building anytime during heavy rains and cause severe injuries to life and limb. 

Nothing to worry: BMTC

However, a senior engineer from the BMTC's civil engineering department explained that the crack is visible only in the expansion joint of the concrete ceiling and will not cause severe damage. 

"There is nothing to worry about since the peeled-off part of the ceiling is just an expansion joint, which is used to connect every 50 metres of concrete sheets. It will be looked into by our team immediately,” she clarified. 

On a similar note, a member of the maintenance staff at the public toilet at the bus station said there had been waterlogging in the past week due to the evening showers, causing passengers and daily commuters to wait for their buses in the waterlogged peripheries of the bus stop. She said they sometimes stand and wait in the restroom stalls.