Mangaluru’s State Bank bus stand is facing mounting sanitation and passenger-safety concerns, with commuters reporting open urination, roadside littering and the absence of CCTV cameras at one of the city’s busiest transit hubs. The Mangaluru City Corporation has promised to install surveillance cameras and take action on waste management.
The City/Service bus stand, popularly known as the State Bank bus stand, is used by thousands of passengers. Commuters told the Times of India that the entrance is affected by open urination, while plastic bottles, tobacco waste and other litter are frequently discarded in and around the terminus.
Advaith, a first-year BSc student at St Aloysius (Deemed To Be) University and a regular commuter, said the conditions near the entrance were particularly difficult. “At the entry people urinate openly, making the smell completely unbearable,” he said.
Students Bhoomika PR and Danya, both first-year students at Canara Engineering College, also raised concerns about the disposal of waste along the roadside. They said the bus stand was uncomfortable to use and called for improved waste management, including separate dustbins for dry and wet waste.
The lack of CCTV cameras has added to concerns about security. A police officer from Mangaluru South police station visited the bus stand on Wednesday after a pickpocketing complaint and said the crowds made it difficult to identify suspects without surveillance footage. “It is very difficult to look for the perpetrator out of so many thousands of people with the lack of CCTV cameras in the area,” the officer said.
The security concerns are also linked to the bus stand’s use after dark. Azeez Parthipady, president of the Dakshina Kannada Bus Owners’ Association, said the corporation had failed to provide basic amenities at the terminus. He called for stronger security arrangements and proposed establishing a police outpost, saying that the presence of anti-social elements after dark made women and regular commuters fearful.
The complaints point to a gap between the bus stand’s importance in Mangaluru’s daily transport network and the basic facilities available to passengers. The reported absence of dustbins, CCTV cameras and adequate sanitation arrangements places responsibility for both cleanliness and security on agencies that manage or oversee the terminal.
Mangaluru City Corporation commissioner Rahul Ratnam Pandey said the civic body would examine the concerns. “I will look into the matter and ensure to install CCTV cameras there, and will also take action regarding waste management,” he said. The promised inspection and proposed installation of cameras are the next steps identified by the civic body in response to the complaints.
