Facing financial crunch to even pay staff salaries, the board of directors of public transport utility Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) has postponed the purchase of new 350 e-buses. It has also decided to put on hold the scheme to travel in peth areas for Rs10.
Hemant Rasane, PMC standing committee chairperson and PMPML director, said, “PMPML has 9,000 employees on roll and 2,000 on contract. The utility is unable to pay staff salaries for the past two months because of poor business due to the Covid-19 situation. Our top priority is to pay salaries of employees even as bus operations is severely affected and income generation is poor. There is a limit to Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations to bear the losses. Hence, we have decided to stop the purchase of new 350 buses.”
The director said that the transport utility is facing loses because of less commuters. “Though the Centre has agreed to help fund the purchase of e-buses, it is better to put the proposal on hold though the tendering process is almost in its last stage,” Rasane said.
PMPML chairperson and managing director Nayana Gunde confirmed that the new bus purchase plan is on hold.
{{/usCountry}}PMPML chairperson and managing director Nayana Gunde confirmed that the new bus purchase plan is on hold.
{{/usCountry}}Rasne said, “The Rs10 scheme was announced in the 2020-21 PMC budget. People can travel in any part of the central city by paying Rs10. We have decided to postpone the scheme. Instead of hiring buses for executing the scheme, it is our plan to launch it after purchasing medi-buses.”
Pune mayor Murlidhar Mohol said, “The public transport utility is facing financial crisis due to the Covid-19 situation. We are taking steps to pay the salaries of employees and the proposal to buy new buses is on hold.”