29 April,2014 10:25 AM IST | | Neha LM Tripathi and Nimesh Dave
The Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation has planned two depots in Kashimira and Ghodbunder, but work on them is yet to begin; currently, buses are parked outside with no security
The Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation (MBMC) currently has 52 buses plying, and another 100 will be added by the end of August, 2014.
Since one of the depots is on the periphery of the forest, it has become a mammoth task for officials to get permissions to build the facility. Pic/Nimesh Dave
However, there are no depots to accommodate them. Currently, the buses are parked beneath the Mira Bhayander flyover bridge, with nobody to guard them.
According to the MBMC, they have planned two depots, one in Kashimira and the other in Ghodbunder, but the plan is still stuck due to lack of permissions and clearances.
Under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Renewal Urban Mission (JNNURM), the civic body is expected to get 100 new buses in the next four months.
"Presently, the area where the buses are parked has no security, and every day we hear about spare parts and tyres getting stolen," said an MBMC transport official.
Only on paper
When mid-day spoke to senior officers at the corporation, they said the plan is still awaiting permissions. As one depot falls on the periphery of the forest area, its clearance has become a mammoth task.
Officialspeak
Deepak Sawant, transport officer at MBMC, said, "The two planned depots should be ready by July. The approximate cost of the depots is Rs 40 crore." However, an official, on condition of anonymity added, "It is simply not possible for the depots to be ready by July. Presently, everything is just on paper."
