Undertaking slammed over crumbling infrastructure; fear among passengers and staff; officials say repairs underway
The MSRTC headquarters are located at the Mumbai Central bus depot where the incident occurred on Thursday
Passengers at the Mumbai Central bus depot of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) had a close shave after chunks of plaster and concrete almost fell on them from the ceiling of the bus stand on Thursday night. The passengers trying to queue up for the bus managed to avoid the falling plaster but were fearful as several senior citizens were present.
The incident highlights the failing infrastructure of the MSRTC, one of India’s biggest public transport undertakings with a fleet of over 15,000 buses. Ironically, the MSRTC headquarters are on the Mumbai Central bus depot premises and all its officials sit there.
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“We were sitting at the bus depot waiting for a bus to Nashik, when, around 11.05 pm, huge concrete and plaster chunks fell down. Our colleagues were luckily able to dodge them in time or else they would have been injured. Such incidents raise questions about infrastructure and a sense of fear prevails while travelling via public transport in the state. It is high time the government pays attention to this,” local politician Smita Chaudhari said.
Trade union leader Shrirang Barge of the ST Karmachari Congress said, “The state of Mumbai Central bus depot is very bad. In fact, if one visits the MSRTC office at Vidyavihar, (one can see that) the situation is worse than this. Thursday’s incident highlights the neglect. Is the construction department of the MSRTC sleeping? Someone’s life will be lost one day due to the mismanagement of the department.”
MSRTC officials said they had listed bus depots in need of repairs, which, they claimed, are being carried out in a phased manner. “All the old bus premises and depots are now being renovated in a phased manner and some needing urgent attention will be taken up on a priority basis,” an MSRTC official said.
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