Broken, potholed Panvel ST depot continue to plague commuters

NAVI MUMBAI: Commuters have made their displeasure evident to the authorities about the Panvel state transport bus depot which appears rundown with innumerable potholes inside the premises.
All state transport (ST) buses towards Pune and Konkan routes make a stopover at the 67-year-old depot. About 5,000 ST buses will be using this deport during Ganesh festival.But several potholes have appeared inside the depot area and the road surface has also developed cracks.
According to bus employees, these water-filled potholes pose a risk to buses that ply over the broken road and are prone to lose control. “It is difficult for us to distinguish the road amidst potholes,” said ST driver Dinkar Patil.
The depot has remained in this condition since the monsoon started a couple of months ago. Passengers have complained to the ST authorities and demanded immediate repairs. “Passengers run the risk of getting a slip disc while travelling through the depot. But our grievances have fallen on deaf ears,” said a regular commuter.
Transport officials, however, assured that concretization work inside the depot will be done at the earliest. Since a large number of buses are using the depot, asphalting is insufficient for road surface, they said. “Plans are afoot for concretization and the work will be completed before Ganeshotsav,” said a transport official, G S
Sonawane.
A few years ago, the state transport department had proposed a redevelopment plan for the depot under build-operate-transfer scheme.
However the proposal is yet to be okayed by the state government. “This is a serious issue and will be brought to the notice of the government,” said Panvel MLA Prashant Thakur.