Maharashtra bandh call: State transport buses completely off roads

MUMBAI: The MSRTC fleet of 19,000 buses is completely off roads since early morning. The state transport undertaking is not running its bus services across Maharashtra in wake of the bandh call and with 'no proper assurance' given by the police authorities.
The depots at Mumbai Central, Parel, Dadar, Kurla-Nehru Nagar, Thane and at Navi Mumbai are completely deserted with buses not plying since the wee hours, an official from the MSRTC headquarters here said.
“Our buses will stay off roads unless the police provides proper security cover and assures that buses are not damaged. In the past one month, several ST buses were targeted by the Maratha groups and damaged in stone pelting incidents. So this time we have decided not to operate our buses as we are soft targets during bandh,” a senior official said. The MSRTC buses are likely to stay off roads almost throughout the day, sources said. If this happens, the corporation may incur revenue losses to the tune of Rs 22 crore, the sources stated.
The MSRTC ferries more than 65 lakh commuters to every nook and corner of the state daily. Its Shivneri AC buses from Mumbai to Pune is one of the popular services from the city and is not operating since midnight, the official added.