Pune rampage: Despite order, buses unattended

It took Wednesday morning’s bizarre incident for the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) to act.

The state bus operating body on Friday instructed its staff to ensure that none of its buses should be left unattended. The instructions came from the MSRTC headquarters in Mumbai, and it was soon communicated to all the bus stands and depots in the state.

But, it seems that the instruction wasn’t taken too seriously. A visit to MSRTC’s Swargate bus depot in the afternoon revealed that many buses were left unattended.

“When a bus comes into the depot, it goes to the parking bay and remains there till the halting period is over. After receiving the instructions from Mumbai, we have informed all the bus drivers and the bus conductors to remain in the bus even when the vehicle is parked in the parking lot,” Swargate ST depot’s senior depot manager, Vijay Divate, said.

Meanwhile, the Pune police, which has filed a murder case against Mane and is carrying out investigations, has written a letter to the MSRTC officials seeking details of Mane’s duty record.

Mane suspended
The MSRTC on Friday suspended Santosh Mane. The Pune RTO has also suspended his driving license. Divate said, “Mane was suspended with effect from Wednesday. However, his services will not be terminated till the time he is proven guilty and convicted by the court.”