MSRTC forms squads to identify and take action against illegal agents

We have received complaints from passengers and also our staff about the increasing number of touts inside ST stands, especially at night, says official

The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) Pune division has formed special squads to identify and take action against illegal agents found poaching passengers - mainly students and others travelling to and from Pune (to other parts of Maharashtra) – inside state transport (ST) stands.

The special squads formed by the MSRTC will be helping ST stand officials during rush hours both on weekdays and during weekends. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO)

Ramakant Gaikwad, MSRTC Pune division controller, said, “It’s the rainy season and a large number of students are travelling to Pune from across the state for admission-related work. Earlier during the summer vacation, we had deployed additional staff to monitor extra buses, and illegal agents were strictly prohibited from entering the stands. Now again, their numbers have increased inside the ST stands. We have received complaints from passengers and also our staff about the increasing number of touts inside ST stands, especially at night. Hence, we have formed squads to take action against these illegal private agents wherein they will be identified and taken to the local police authorities.”

The special squads formed by the MSRTC will be helping ST stand officials during rush hours both on weekdays and during weekends.

Since a couple of months now, MSRTC officials have been seeing illegal agents entering ST stands, especially at night, to lure passengers with the offer of cheaper fares. Several complaints in this regard had been lodged at Swargate police station a few years ago. According to the MSRTC Pune division, these touts and their travel agencies park their buses and smaller vehicles outside ST stands even as the touts lure passengers away from the ST stands with the offer cheaper fares. While MSRTC officials can catch these touts, they cannot take any action against them and often, they are simply handed over to the local police stations. There have also been incidents in the past when illegal agents have attacked MSRTC staffers at the ST stands and police complaints have been lodged against the touts.