Former Sarpanch Vinayak Narvekar and the then Panchayat Mandal had a vision for the development of the Marcel Bus Stand. The original plan was to create a multipurpose bus stand that would be beneficial to the locals and solve countless problems at once. Since then, the bus stand has been inaugurated twice, once by the villagers and once by the government. However, its multi-purpose capabilities still haven’t been achieved.
There is no exit road to get out of the bus stand, creating traffic congestion on the entry.
The villagers were promised facilities like a library, ticket reservation facility, inter-state bus facility at the bus stand, which haven’t been fulfilled.
With Marcel being a central location, travelling from here across Goa and to cities like Belgaum, Sawantwadi, Karwar is convenient. Buses ply to places like Sakheli, Walpai, Panaji, Ponda, Madgaon, Vasco from Marcel. But, there is no interstate bus service available at the Marcel bus stop. There were a couple of buses from Madgaon to Belgaum. But those also stopped after several layoffs.
Since the closure of Anmod Ghat road, most of the buses of Karnataka Transport Board going to Hubli, Dharwad and Belgaum pass through Marcel. But none of them come to the bus stand. Therefore, passengers have to wait on the sidewalk outside the bus stand. There are about five bus stops around the Marcel with no proper facilities like sheds, but passengers prefer those and don’t use the main bus stand. Following this, buses also stop at these bus stops, adding to the problem.
Waiting for the library
A library was to be started at this place. But nothing has been done yet. There are two small libraries in Marcel, but both are short on space. There is a reading room which isn’t doesn’t have enough space. Therefore, the full use of the libraries isn’t possible.
A new vegetable market was inaugurated at the bus stand, but the fish sellers haven’t moved yet, causing congestion in the morning. Vendors in the fish market have some problems. So fishmongers sit in two different places. In addition, some fishmongers also sit on the sidewalk near Khandola College. Therefore, if the problems of the fish market are solved immediately, it will end the congestion in the area. The villagers demand that the Panchayat Mandal should take immediate action for this.
"Even though there is a well-equipped bus stand in Marcel, it is not being used. The government should immediately provide a fish market, library, reservation facilities. Similarly, inter-state buses should be started from Mashel to major cities in the state," said Francis Lobo, Deputy Panch, Tiware-Vargaon Panchayat.
Lack of reservation facility
It is possible to start a direct route of buses to Madgaon, Ponda, Panaji, Vasco, Verna, Sakhali, Walpai, Belgaum, Kolhapur from Marcel. Although banners are conveying this exact message, there is still no reservation facility available in Marcel. Passengers need to go to places like Panaji and Ponda to get their tickets. Many buses go from Marcel to Hubli, Dharwad, Hyderabad via Chorla, but none of those stop at the bus stand.