Roadwork drags on, vendors turn bus shelter in Bengaluru into clothing outlet

Bengaluru: For nearly two years now, the familiar rumble of buses has been missing from Neelasandra–Rose Garden Road in central Bengaluru. With the road dug up by civic agencies and bus services along the route diverted, the once-bustling bus shelters have taken on a different look. Some local traders have converted one of them into a clothes shop. Where commuters once queued clutching bus passes, shirts and trousers now hang in neat rows.The transformation unfolded over nearly two years of continuous roadworks carried out by Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA). Residents said the road was in poor condition even before the works began, but repeated trenching and delays eventually pushed Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) to stop operating buses on the stretch altogether."For a long time now, buses have stopped coming here," said Sanjith Dhinda, who sold samosas near Neelasandra bus stand for over seven years. "Earlier, this place used to be crowded all day. Because of BWSSB works, buses stopped coming. Now, I don't see a bus here and the bus stop itself has turned into a shop."Manoj Kumar, a clothing seller, said: "There has been no bus here for a long time. Since we found this place free, we hung our clothes at the bus stand. Nobody objected to us yet. We are only trying to earn a living. When the road is repaired and buses start coming back, we will shift. Till then, this place is just lying empty."A GBA official said they will expedite road-restoration work.— Syeda Tatheer Hussain