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.

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