Amid rising PMPML losses, PMC and PCMC face the heat
During the meeting, PMC commissioner Rajendra Bhosale raised an objection over the rising losses of the public transport body
The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal’s (PMPML) had logged ₹766 crore for the year 2023-24, surpassing ₹734 crore loss made a year earlier. The civic transport body tabled the audit report to the Pune Municipal Standing Committee for reference and asked the PMC and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) to share the losses.
During the meeting, PMC commissioner Rajendra Bhosale raised an objection over the rising losses of the public transport body.
Meanwhile, civic activist Vivek Velenkar blamed political and administrative leadership for these losses. He said, “The irony is that no administrators or policymakers are serious about bus transport and overall public transport in the city. They are interested only in tendering systems and hiring buses on contract. Even the administration is not serious about running the PMPML efficiently. No IAS officer wants to work here, and those willing to work are transferred haphazardly. Since the formation of the PMPML, only one officer has completed his tenure.”
The PMC’s annual revenue is reaching up to ₹5,000 crore, and the majority of it is going for employees’ salaries and maintenance. If the PMPML losses keep increasing, soon the PMC would not be in a position to carry allot funds for any development works in the city.
As per the company format, Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad municipal corporations are shareholders in the PMPML. The PMC’s share is 60 per cent while the PCMC has a 40 stake. For a long time, it has been argued that the PMRDA and Pune Zilla Parishad too, shall bear the losses as the PMPML caters services in their jurisdiction as well.