In the historically significant Pudukkottai district, renovation work has been underway at the old bus stand in Ponnamaravathi for more than a year. As a result, a temporary new bus stand has been set up and is operating for public use.
Since this bus stand serves as a key hub connecting various districts such as Chennai, Chidambaram, Salem, Ramnad to the south, and Tiruppur and Coimbatore to the west, thousands of people come here every day.
This busy bus stand, which sees heavy foot traffic, is now turning into a sewage pool. Wastewater is overflowing on both the right and left sides of the bus station.
The entire drainage canal is clogged with old refrigerator cardboard, bottles, and plastic waste.
Since it is currently the rainy season, the situation has worsened further, and the sewage has no way to drain out, causing it to overflow. As a result, a strong foul smell is spreading throughout the bus stand.
Because mosquitoes are breeding in large numbers and swarming around this stagnant wastewater, passengers waiting for buses are facing severe hardship. In addition, various infectious diseases, including fever, are spreading rapidly among nearby shopkeepers and the local residents.
Speaking to passengers about this, they said, "The drain has not been cleaned for a long time. We can’t even stand for ten minutes until the bus arrives, and mosquitoes and flies keep swarming around us. We’re afraid we may get fever, dengue, or typhoid. When it rains, the entire bus stand turns into slush and mud. It’s impossible to walk. It would be good if the authorities took action on this soon."
Meanwhile, some flex banners have been put up there, hiding this stagnant sewage from view. Because of these banners put up by individuals, passengers do not even realize that there is a sewage pool right next to them. As a result, these flex banners have become a screen that conceals the danger, to the point that some passengers are left wondering, “Where are so many mosquitoes coming from?”
Ponnamaravathi has now been upgraded from a town panchayat to a municipality. However, the area where this new bus stand is located falls under Thottiyampatti village panchayat. To seek clarification on this, we contacted the Block Development Officer (BDO) of Thottiyampatti panchayat by phone. However, he did not answer our call.
It is deeply distressing that in the heart of this historically significant town, and at a bus station that thousands of people pass through, there is no basic sanitation infrastructure.
Whatever the administrative boundaries may be, the public’s health is the top priority here.
Because there is a risk of a major epidemic spreading, the public’s collective demand is that the Pudukkottai district administration should step in immediately, beyond boundary-related complications, and find a permanent solution to this drainage problem.