'Don't repair BEST buses on the road'

If all goes as per the plans by the traffic officials, then there are chances that one would no longer have to wait in traffic snarls owing to BEST buses breaking down. According to a letter drafted by them, they want broken down buses to be repaired at the closest bus depot, in an attempt to avoid traffic jams and ensure smooth flow of traffic.

Needs a push: According to BEST authorities, approximately 130 buses break-down everyday impeding smooth flow of traffic. File pic

According to BEST officials, on an average around 130 buses break down everyday. And as per the rule, a broken down bus has to be sent to the depot it belongs to instead of the closest one. One official said, "These frequent breakdowns occur due to a shortage of staff. There are approximately 600 vacant posts ranging from cleaners to engineers, who maintain buses."

According to the present instructions, if a bus breaks down, the bus will be towed away to the depot it belongs to. Vivek Phansalkar, joint commissioner of police (Traffic) said, "When the buses breakdown, the situation grows worse on the roads. The buses are large and when they stop working, it takes time to tow it away causing snarls. To avoid such a situation, we had a discussion with the BEST authorities to remove and repair buses at the closest depot available."

Ashok Patil, BEST Committee Chairman, said, "Now if the buses break down, the nearest depot will take responsibility to repair it immediately so that we can avoid traffic snarls." Meanwhile, the passengers continue to grumble about the efficiency of the buses. "Time and again, buses stop working. It takes hours for the bus to be repaired," said Renu Shukla, a family court lawyer. Another passenger added, "They don't have the right infrastructure in place and we are the ones who have to suffer."u00a0