A bus stop that blocks two houses in Taling Chan has become a hot potato for two agencies and a temple after pictures were posted on Pantip.com on Friday.
UPDATE: Read to the end of this article for a surprising update:
Users of the popular portal were shocked by pictures of a chain-link fence at the rear of the bus stop, less than one metre from the front entrances to the two houses in the building behind it.
"How could this happen?" was the title chosen by the person who posted the images.
The bus stop is located in front of Wat Chaiyapruekmala for passengers using bus route 79, operated by the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA). The route runs from a depot on Putthamonthon Sai 2 in Bang Khae district to the Ratchaprasong intersection in the centre of Bangkok.
It's a very tight squeeze between the fence at the rear of the bus stop and the gates of the two units in the building behind it. (Photo from Pantip.com)
Since the route does not directly pass the temple, Wat Chaiyapruekmala asked the BMTA to arrange for some buses to be diverted from the main route to stop near the temple to serve commuters living in the neighbourhood.
The bus stop serves BMTA buses, is located in Taling Chan district and sits on land owned by the temple. But the bus agency, the temple and district officials are all trying to dodge responsibility for having it built.
After the issue was raised on Pantip.com, the BMTA released a statement saying that the temple was solely responsible. "The building of the bus stop was done by Wat Chaiyapruekmala," said the bus agency.
The temple sent a letter dated Oct 4, 2016 to the Traffic and Transport Department of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration asking City Hall to build the stop.
"The temple has discussed this issue with people in the area and they did not oppose it. Wat Chaiyapruekmala has already asked the BMTA to survey the road," said the letter, a copy of which was seen by the Bangkok Post.
The area on which the bus stop would be built is owned by the temple, added the letter, signed by Phra Khru Wisitwaranukit, an aide to the abbot.
The monk told Channel 3 news that Wat Chaiyapruekmala did not build the bus stop but had been approached by the district about having a stop constructed on temple property.
But district chief Pornthip Watcharindilok told the broadcaster that the district did not build the bus stop and was not aware of a move to build one there.
Nutchanat Khongyai, an owner of one of the two houses in the building behind the bus stop, told TV 3 that she rented the land from the temple on a yearly contract.
She said she did not oppose the plan to build a bus stop in front of the house but did not expect it to turn out the way it did.
Her mother has had difficulty leaving the house to go to the hospital since the bus stop was built and she has been forced to leave a motorcycle outside the house, Ms Nutchanat said.
The special route 79 from Wat Chaiyapruekmala to Ratchaprasong made its debut last Wednesday. The BMTA has arranged three buses from 6am to 10am and from 3.30pm to 6.30pm at the request of the temple.
However, the service has attracted almost no riders so far.
On Wednesday, three passengers used the bus from the temple in the morning and only one took it to the temple on the return trip in the evening.
On Thursday, five passengers used it from the temple in the morning and, again, only one was on the bus when it reached the destination in the evening.
On Friday, only one person used the service in the morning and another one in the evening.
UPDATE: On Sunday, after this article appeared online, motorcycle taxi drivers and officials helped to move away the bus stop. (Photo by Pornprom Satrabhaya)
BELOW: After the bus stop was gone.
