Despite collecting crores of rupees from the public for cleanliness, the poor condition of bus depots continues !

Failure of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation’s ‘cleanliness drive’ at bus depots !
Transport Minister to hold a review meeting on 1 August
Poor condition continues despite cleanliness drive

Mumbai – The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) launched a statewide cleanliness drive from 1 June to provide clean and quality facilities to passengers. A surcharge of ₹2 is collected from passengers for this purpose. ₹1 crore is collected daily for cleanliness from 50 lakh passengers.

The work of regularly cleaning more than 560 bus depots across the State, toilets, bus station premises and buses was entrusted by Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik to another establishment under the same company that cleans high-profile premises such as Parliament; however, cleanliness is not being maintained to the expected standard. Against this backdrop, the Transport Minister has called a review meeting on 1 August. The meeting will review the performance of the private agency appointed for cleanliness, the utilisation of funds collected through the surcharge, the actual cleanliness conditions at the depots and further corrective measures.

Foul smells, poor drainage, unclean flooring, broken sanitation equipment and piles of garbage are found in bus station premises. Hand-washing facilities are also unclean, while the toilets are in a poor condition. The problem becomes more serious during the monsoon. Mud, stagnant water and unclean surroundings cause inconvenience and distress to passengers.