NMMT bus driver gets national award for accident free driving

Navi Mumbai bus driver, Nandkumar Dadasaheb Lawand, has been awarded the "Heroes on the Road" award for his clean track record. Lawand believes his accident-free record is down to his calm temperament, and his habit of ensuring the vehicle he drives is fit for purpose.

NAVI MUMBAI: Fifty-two-year-old Nandkumar Dadasaheb Lawand, a driver with Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT), has been recently honoured with the “Heroes on the Road” award, a national felicitation ceremony held by the Constitution Club in New Delhi.

NMMT bus driver gets national award for accident free driving

The Panvel resident is one of the 42 drivers selected by the State Road Transport Undertaking for having the cleanest track record as bus driver. Lawand, known to be among the very patient of NMMT drivers, said, “ I have been in service of NMMT for 27 years and have always followed the philosophy of keeping the mind calm and cool. Before starting my day, I ensure that I am in the right frame of mind and have made it a habit to never lose my temper regardless of how bad others might behave.”

Another crucial aspect for the accident free record of the driver is his habit to ascertain the fitness of the vehicle he is going to drive. “ I make it a point to check for any faults with the gear box or the brake system. IF the vehicle to be driven is fit, half the work is done, the other half I tackle with my temperament to the situation. Since I have to drive for 8 hours , I treat the bus as my own vehicle therefore I am extremely careful of how I drive,” he said.

The sole intention of earning money, Lawand worked as a helper in a shop and even as a painter. After toiling for a few years, he eventually returned back to the village and remained jobless for one whole month. “ Whatever money I used to earn the majority got spent on eating so I decided to return to the village. From there a friend asked me to join him as a cleaner in a truck. That was the turning point of my life. I worked for 2 years as a cleaner which meant every Sunday I had to wash the vehicles and in the process I learnt driving,” he said.

An advertisement seeking for drivers by NMMT in 1996 paved a new way for Lawand. “ I filled out the application and was selected. I was also selected in BEST but chose NMMT as it was the organisation to have given me the opportunity,” said Lawand who has seen the city’s demography changing with time. In 1996, there was no Palm Beach road in fact the roads in itself were narrow and to travel from Vashi to Artist colony, Belapur I had to drive through all the railway stations,” he said.

“ I drove bus no 21 and back then vehicles were manually operated but the traffic was less so it was manageable but now traffic has become extreme therefore the existence of automatic vehicles is a boon. I enjoy my profession as I get to ferry lakhs of commuters to their destination,” said the father of two. Unlike himself, Lawand knows the importance of studies and has ensured that his daughter and son both take their studies seriously. Both his children are computer engineers and recently they accompanied him for the award ceremony on their maiden flight to New Delhi.

“ I wanted to take my parents to the ceremony but since they are very old, travelling such a long distance was not possible. Since I have never travelled by airplane and my wife who is 10th pass has seldom ventured out of the home, I took my daughter along. It was a first time experience for all of us and will remain etched forever in our hearts. The event was aired live and my mother was in tears watching her son who travelled from the village to the city and eventually was honored in Delhi,” concludes the driver.