Pune: 164 bus breakdowns in 5 days cast shadow on maintenance

Joy Sengupta | TNN | Updated: Sep 10, 2020, 05:35 IST

PMPML has been running 25% of its fleet or around 460 buses per day

PUNE: As many as 164 bus breakdowns were reported in the first five days since the city’s transport utility resumed its service from September 3, triggering posers on the maintenance of the vehicles — most of them stranded for about five months because of the lockdown-related restrictions.
On September 3, as many as 37 buses of the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) developed snags. The number stood at 30, 35, 33 and 29 on September 4, 5, 6 and 7, respectively. The PMPML has been running 25% of its fleet or around 460 buses per day. The breakdown figures for September 8 and 9 are awaited.

TimesView

The large number of bus breakdowns since the resumption of PMPML’s services reflects lack of maintenance of vehicles when they were stranded for over five months. Upkeep of engines when they are idle for a long period is elementary in mechanical engineering. If PMPML had reacted to the situation on time, commuters would not have faced the daily hassles now.

Dattatray Phadatare, a regular commuter, said, “The PMPML was running more than 200 buses for those involved in essential services since mid-March from select depots. They should have rostered the trips in such a way that buses from all the 13 depots were used, ensuring their check-up and maintenance.”
Senior officials of the PMPML have floated an idea of changing the working style in the bus depots. They are planning to start periodic night maintenance of buses.
After visiting the depots, Chetna Kerure, the joint managing director of the PMPML, stressed on changing their working style. “We are talking about regular night maintenance of buses, periodic and preventive maintenance, and altering the working hours of technicians in the depots. We have plans to introduce the system of maintenance of buses during holidays too,” she said, adding that still many old buses were plying on roads and a proper scrapping policy was needed.
Stressing that the breakdowns exposed the PMPML’s poor planning, PMP Pravasi Manch activist Sanjay Shitole said, “Isn’t it strange that the PMPML is talking about these reforms now? The former chairman and managing director, Tukaram Mundhe, had spoken about these in 2017. What was the PMPML administration doing in the past five months, when the buses remained non-operational?”
The PMPML chairman and managing director, Rajendra Jagtap, had earlier said action should be taken against the employees responsible for the bus breakdowns.