Panadura SLTB bus stand in dilapidated state

They said the roof of the bus stand had been on the verge of collapse and supported by wooden props for a long time and that many of the roofing sheets were missing

Thousands of passengers on several routes including Kandy, Ratnapura, Colombo, and Ampara and about ten short distant routes from Panadura expressed concern about the dilapidated state of the Panadura main SLTB Bus stand. They pointed out that Panadura Depot or the Urban Council had not paid attention on the SLTB bus stand that has turned an eyesore in the town.

They said the roof of the bus stand had been on the verge of collapse and supported by wooden props for a long time and that many of the roofing sheets were missing. The passengers who expressed concern about the poor facilities in the bus stand, pointed out that the toilets were no longer used by the passengers due to poor maintenance.

A resident of Kiriberiya, Amal Vitharana (40) who travelled to Panadura for employment every morning said the SLTB bus stand was an eyesore in the town with broken down drains, and leaking roofs.

“The surroundings of the bus stands and the toilet are not cleaned regularly. Now the passengers do not use the toilet which has been left without proper cleaning. When a passenger wants to answer a call of nature, relieves in some corner in the bus stand ground. The person does so for want of toilet facilities and that he or she cannot help it. The railings in the queuing areas have broken down and the passengers rush in and attempt to be occupy a seat and it often results in clashes among them. The bus stand canteen is not subject to any supervision by the relevant authorities to ensure its standard” he said.

The passengers requested the Panadura SLTB Depot and the Urban Council to carry out repairs to the bus stand and to improve the basic facilities.