Keep out pvt players,go by JNNURM rules,State tells PMPML
The ongoing controversy over the purchase of Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) buses will finally see an end as the Urban Development Department...
3 min read
The ongoing controversy over the purchase of Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) buses will finally see an end as the Urban Development Department of the state government has ruled out the possibility of bus purchases by a private player. It has also urged the PMPML administration to speed up the purchases which are to be made under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
Principal secretary (Urban Development) Manu Kumar Srivastava on Thursday met with the Pune Municipal Commissioner Mahesh Zagade on Thursday in Mumbai. Pune Divisional Commissioner Dilip Band,who had apparently taken a keen interest in the purchase procedure and issued directions to buy 650 buses under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) also attended the meeting along with PMPML chief Nitin Khade,said BJP Corporator Ujwal Keskar,who had filed a petition in Lokayukta a few days ago,against Band and secretary to Chief Minister Nitin Kareer.
During the meeting,Srivastava issued directions to the PMPML asking it to stick to the JNNURM guidelines and not involve private players in bus purchases. He also urged the PMPML to complete the purchases as per the schedule, Keskar said.
The issue of the purchase of 650 buses got mired in controversy when it came to light that Band and Kareer had held meetings to discuss the issue pertaining to the purchase of buses.
Several organisations had also pointed out that Band and Kareer were unnecessarily meddling in the bus purchase procedure and issued orders to that effect even when they were not authorised to do so. Band had allegedly issued directions to purchase 200 AC-buses instead of the regular buses. It was only on Tuesday that these organisations had held an agitation outside the Council Hall.
The decision to go the PPP way for the purchase of the new buses was finalised on May 16 in the presence of Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar.
Issue July 09-April 10 free passes
The PMP Pravasi Manch has demanded that the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) should issue free passes to students for the period July 2009-April 2010.
It has also demanded that Pune and as well as Pimpri-Chinchwad civic bodies should provide Rs 15 crore in their annual budgets for this purpose from 2010-11. The PMC this year decided to provide free bus passes for standard V to X students to travel to schools.
The PMP Pravasi Manch office bearer Jugal Rathi has issued a press release stating his demands. He said,The free passes should be for the period between July and April. The PMC and PCMC should equally share the monetary burden for this scheme. This year,the PMC has made Rs 9 crore available,to which,the PCMC should give an additional amount of Rs 6 crore. Rathi also alleged that the amount necessary to implement this scheme has been blown out of proportion.
The PMPML on Tuesday sought more time to roll out the plan. However,the Maharasthtra Navnirman Sena has threatened to carry out protests if students are charged for tickets. During the recent standing committee meeting,a committee of corporators including Ravindra Vagaskar,Vijay Deshmukh,Mangala Mantri,Ashok Yenpure and Sunil Bibwe was formed to study the nitty-gritty of the plan.
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