The Kaloor bus shelter, which covers an area of 176 square feet, has a feeding room with ample seating
When you think of a bus waiting shelter, you think of a dusty, concrete shed with a couple of seats. Seldom are bus shelters synonymous to great facilities or entertainment. But one such shelter in Kerala's Kochi boasts of a number of facilities otherwise not very common in the country.
With a feeding room, toilet, television, CCTV cameras and a ramp for the differently-abled the bus shelter was constructed by Congress MP from Ernakulam, Hibi Eden.
In a tweet, the MP said he constructed the shelter with his previous MLA funds. Mr Eden was the MLA from Ernakulam from 2011-2019 before he won the Lok Sabha elections last year.
He shared photos of the bus stand at Kaloor and its facilities which have been appreciated on social media. Kaloor is a downtown area of Kochi with a number of companies and shopping malls.
The bus shelter, which covers an area of 176 square feet, has ample seating outside as well as in the feeding room and is adorned with paintings by a famous cartoonist.
Mr Eden says the idea of the bus shelter came to him after a large number of requests from women, especially students, who were worried about their safety.
"The Kaloor bus stand had a huge space, but it was not safe. There was a well too, which we have kept, but have now made the shelter secure and safe," Mr Eden told NDTV.
This is not the first bus stop the MP has renovated. While he was an MLA, a number of bus stands were provided with a number of facilities like charging units, music systems and were solar powered. But toilets and safety were a major demand which led to the renovation of the Kaloor bus stand.
CCTV cameras outside the well-maintained bus stand add to the safety of the shelter.
Mr Eden says they are trying to hand over the shelter to the Kochi Municipal Corporation for maintenance.