Chirag Nimbre (25) was asked to pay Rs 9,500 to fix the tyre of his bike, which developed around 60 punctures due to the dismal road conditions. After a long negotiation, he paid Rs 6,500 to the roadside mechanic.
Nimbre, a resident of Thane, was travelling to meet his family and friends in Pune. By the time he reached Talegaon, near Pune, Nimbre realised that his bike had received multiple punctures. He stopped by a roadside mechanic instead of taking his vehicle to a garage.
"As I was moving closer to Pune, I realised that there's something wrong with my vehicle as I had trouble riding on. At this point, I came across a small garage setup at Talegaon where I thought I would get it repaired without wasting much time and stopped there," reported Mumbai Mirror quoting Nimbre.
The mechanic then tried to convince him to change the bike's tyre for around Rs 8,500. But, Nimbre asked the mechanic to fix the damaged tyre and get the punctures fixed as it was the more economical solution.
"After fixing the tyre, the mechanic claimed that there were around 60 punctures. He then first asked me to pay Rs 9,500 for the work done. After negotiating for a long time, he finally agreed to take Rs 6,500. I tried convincing him that I would get him all the material that was used and he should just take his labour charges but he refused. He didn't listen to me and two more people stepped in and started raising their voice, creating an uncomfortable situation, after which I paid the money and left," he added.
Since Nimbre was in a hurry and didn't spot a cop nearby, he didn't complain at that time.
Nilesh Bokephode, Sub-inspector, Talegaon police station, said, "The incident hadn't been brought to our notice. However, we will check with the traffic cops stationed on that stretch and ask the mechanics to regulate the prices. People should come forward and complain about these things."
Another commuter, Suhail Khan, alleged that a big racket is unfolding in the area. Even when there is one puncture, mechanics claim there are several and fleece travellers of their money.
(Edited by Vivek Dubey)