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Police booths at major ST depots ready since a month but no cops deployed
Police booths at major Pune MSRTC depots lack personnel a month after installation, raising safety concerns among passengers despite increased security measures.
PUNE: A month since police security booths have been set up at three major Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) depots namely Swargate, Vallabhnagar (Pimpri-Chinchwad) and Wakdewadi in the Pune division, and not a single police personnel has been deployed fulltime at any of these booths. This has raised questions about the preparedness of the police when it comes to ensuring passenger safety despite repeated claims of heightened vigilance.
A senior police official from Pune, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “The issue of deployment is administrative and not intentional. Coordination between departments takes time, especially with manpower constraints. Police presence at these booths will be ensured shortly, and passenger safety remains a priority for us.”
Passengers, however, remain unconvinced. Sunita Kale, who travels frequently from Swargate, said, “CCTV cameras are fine but without police on the ground, they do not help much. At night especially, we feel unsafe waiting for buses.”
Rajesh Pawar from Pimpri-Chinchwad, said, “If police booths are built, they should be functional. Seeing police personnel gives confidence to passengers and discourages criminal activity.”
The Pune division of the MSRTC is the largest and busiest in the state. Around 800 state transport (ST) buses depart daily from this division, while more than 2,000 buses arrive in Pune from various parts of Maharashtra. On an average, nearly two lakh passengers travel through the Pune division daily. Swargate, Shivajinagar, and Vallabhnagar depots record the highest passenger footfalls, making them especially sensitive from a security perspective.
In the early hours of February 25, 2025, a man allegedly raped a 26-year-old woman inside an MSRTC bus parked inside the Swargate depot. Following the incident – which exposed lapses in the internal security arrangements of the ST system – the MSRTC moved swiftly to increase the number of private security guards at key depots (now 24 at Swargate, 22 at Shivajinagar, 21 at Pimpri-Chinchwad); install a total 399 CCTV cameras across the Pune division; and construct dedicated police security booths at the three major depots to ensure round-the-clock police presence.
However, now that the three dedicated police security booths are ready since a month, not a single police staff has been deployed, leading to criticism among passengers who are questioning whether the police is serious about passenger safety.
Arun Siya, divisional controller of the Pune ST division, said, “We have significantly increased the number of security guards and installed CCTV cameras across the Pune division. Police security booths have been constructed at three major depots to ensure continuous police presence. Passenger safety has always been our top priority, and MSRTC has fulfilled its responsibility by providing all necessary infrastructure.”
