New MSRTC depot to open after Kumbh

NASHIK: The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has decided to use its newly constructed bus depot at Nashik Road for providing back up and infrastructural support for buses that will be brought to the city during the Kumbh Mela and open the facility for public service only after the event.
“The bus depot, built at a cost of around Rs 4 crore from the Kumbh funds, will be used for parking, halting and maintenance of buses,” an officer from the MSRTC said.
Though a final decision is awaited on starting the depot, which is 90% complete but installation of the diesel tank starting of oil supply is yet to be carried out, the MSRTC is in no hurry to start the facility. Starting the depot will mean the MSRTC will require more buses and staff, besides mechanics to keep the buses running.
“The existing two depots in Nashik are meant to handle 100 buses each but are handling about 180 buses each. If the Nashik Road depot is started, we will require more employees. We do not have the staff to start the services here. Also we cannot shift men from the existing depots given that the workers there are already overworked. Therefore, the regional office has decided to wait,” the officer said. The Nashik city has a population of around 15 lakh people. Estimating at least 65 buses per lakh of population, the MSRTC needs at least 975 buses for the city. “Currently we are operating with 201 buses. There is a massive shortage of buses in the city. So, we do not want to burden our mechanics by starting an additional depot with at least 40 buses as they will not be able to do justice to the health of the buses. However, we are procuring 540 new buses and recruiting as many conductors after the Kumbh. We will deploy them at the new depot,” the officer added.With the state government, for the first time, announcing a vital support to the MSRTC through its budgetary allocation, the Nashik MSRTC is hoping to get more buses.