Bhatkal bus stand collapses; buses routed to old depot from today

Bhatkal 16 July 2018: (Bhatkallys News Bureau) A part of Bhatkal KSRTC Bus Stand on Monday collapsed due to the heavy rain that has been battering the coastal town for last few days. According to the reports a small part of the Bus Stand collapsed in the midnight but in afternoon the more than half of the building collapsed. Luckily the timely intervention of the officials saved the day for the passengers and shop owners at the bus stand as they were evacuated in time as soon as the building showed the signs of a probable collapse, and hence any casualties or injuries were avoided. Police personnel and Bhatkal Tahsildar VN Bhatkar rushed to the spot to inspect the situation. The total loss due to the incident is estimated to be between Rs. 8-10 lac, meanwhile, the authorities have decided to operate the bus stand from the previous bus depot where the construction of new bus stand was already under progress. A top official of the bus stand revealed that the bus stand was constructed over 50 years ago when SM Yahya was the MLA of Bhatkal constituency and that no construction or repair works were undertaken after that. (Bhatkallys News Bureau/ Ismail Zaorez)