TMT asked to start repair work of 40 buses, gets 1cr from civic chief

Thane: Civic commissioner Sanjeev Jaiswal has directed the Thane Municipal Transport (TMT) to immediately start repairs of 40 regular buses stranded due to various malfunctions.
Meanwhile, the eight air-conditioned (AC) buses that were also grounded at the Mullabaug and Neelkanth depots have been sent for repairs following a TOI report.
Jaiswal has disbursed an amount of Rs 1.50 crore to TMT to undertake repairs on Tuesday.As many as 40 regular buses are stranded in the two depots at Wagle Estate and Kalwa after they developed technical snags or met with minor mishaps. Most of the buses were stranded for minor repairs or awaiting spare parts.
“I have instructed the TMT to start repair work of the stranded buses and have also issued Rs 1.50 crore to meet the same. The buses should start running out of the depots in a few days,” said Jaiswal.
Of the fleet of nearly 225 buses, the TMT manages to operate barely 150 buses daily on city roads and a few of these break down due to ill-maintenance. This inconveniences commuters, especially those travelling long distance. Further, the TMT is approximately losing nearly Rs 3 lakh because of the non functional buses.
Meanwhile, TMT officials have confirmed that eight AC buses operating on the Mumbai route would be ready for operations within a fortnight. TOI had highlighted how commuters were suffering due to inadequate AC buses servicing the Borivli and Andheri routes. “We have started sending these buses for repairs in batches and expect them to start running within a fortnight,” said a senior TMT official.