Vellore
But, Vellore’s old bus stand has a cloak room (spelled ‘clock’ room on the wall of the facility) which has become a parking spot for two-wheelers, push-carts and sundry items, owned by local platform vendors, which they leave overnight for a fee.
When asked about this, a lungi-clad attendant said, “We serve people round-the-clock.” Asked how much they charge for a suitcase if left in the cloak room, he said, “I have to see it to assess it.” When this reporter said it would be around mid-thigh in height, he said, “Rs 30 for 12 hours.”
When this reporter wondered whether the suitcase would also be left in the open like the other ‘items’ seen there, he pointed to the locked room and said, “It will be kept in that room.”
When a person asked him about the push-carts and other packed items littering the floor, he said, “They pay for keeping their things safe with me and take it back in the morning” before he became suspicious and wanted to know the reason for asking too many questions.
Sources revealed that the corporation officials were unaware of the use the cloak room was being put to. With the town having a new bus stand, the old bus stand sees only town buses. The once bustling bus terminus is now mostly empty excepting when a town bus arrives and departs with passengers.
“The contractor is thus earning income from parked push-carts as regular transit passengers who use this terminus are practically nil,” said an official on condition of anonymity.
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