High price for bad bus security

Pune Mirror: Pune: Sunday, 22 March 2015.

RTI query reveals pvt agency's guards at bus depots often absent, but get paid in full by faking attendance; thefts of buses and their spare parts continue.

On Thursday, a Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) bus stolen from Market Yard depot led officials on a merry dance to Nashik, where it was found in the Shinde village on the same day. The incident, however, raised pertinent questions again about the security of public transport vehicles, which forced by lack of space are often found sprawled across city roads.

Surprisingly, a response under the Right to Information (RTI) Act has now revealed that PMPML has spent a whopping Rs 7-8 lakh per month on security, despite which the situation remains fraught with vulnerability, as guards are openly shirking duties. With the agency providing personnel seemingly not too interested in the task, guards at various depots remain absent for 8-15 days a month, but receive full payment nonetheless. Allegedly, guards are also manipulating service hours and charging extra.

The Rakshak Security Service and System private agency was appointed in August 2014 by PMPML for the security of 10 bus depots, with around 80-90 security guards allotted per depot, for which it is paid Rs 7-8 lakh a month. The payment was finalised on a per guard per day basis, to avail of which the agency submits an attendance sheet from each depot.

Yuva Congress member and RTI activist Rushikesh Balgude, who filed the query in this regard, claims the contractor has been manipulating sheets while submitting bills. In fact, several security guards are absent for up to half the working days, but complete attendance is officially shown.

Balgude said, "PMPML is not scrutinising bills submitted by contractors, which shows a nexus. Lakhs are paid to the agency. Job cards of guards clearly show that they are often absent, but the bills tell a different story. Take for example Gautam Sabale, the security guard at Market Yard depot (where the recent theft occurred), who was absent for 20 days. Yet, in the billing, a full 30 days of attendance is marked. It is clear case of corruption."

He has now complained to PMPML, demanding strict action against concerned staff and the agency. "Many guards like Sable have a false 100 per cent attendance on record," Balgude asserted.

Several conductors and drivers, meanwhile, insist they are facing major security hassles, especially because buses have to be parked on roads due to space constraints. As a result, late night thefts of batteries and spare parts are common. A driver from Market Yard depot told Mirror, "After such burglaries, drivers and conductors of that bus are confronted with departmental inquiries. We get blamed for the damage. But security is not our responsibility." A conductor at Pune Station depot, added, "PMPML has hired security for each depot, expected to patrol late at night. Every depot parks its buses on particular roads, but proper security checks of such buses are never conducted by guards."

Ashok Jagtap, vice president of PMT Kamgar Sangh (INTUC), said, "Security guards are shirking their duty. There are many thefts and Thursday's incident just reveals the poor security system. We have proper evidence. Many guards do not work through the month and submit fake bills for full payment."

But Suresh Sonawane, main security officer of PMPML, vehemently refuted, "We scrutinise attendance records every day. There is no question of manipulation and no lapse in the entire PMPML bus depots' security system. As per the contract with the security agency, if spare parts or valuable materials are misplaced from depots, the security agency compensates us for that."

Insisting that manipulation is impossible while washing his hands off the matter, Ranjit Sinh Patil, managing director of Rakshak agency, told Mirror, "Every appointed guard signs a daily attendance record and also reports to the depot manager. We get paid based on the latter's reports. We don't submit the reports of the attendance, it gets generated at the depot level. Where is the manipulation?"

Activist Jugal Rathi, president of the body PMP Pravasi Manch, said, "There are two main reasons for the security lapse lack of proper infrastructure and the failure of PMPML to utilise available facilities due to corruption. Considering the number of buses it has, the transport authority needs at least 16 depots. The buses are public transport vehicles they should be parked in depots. No one is taking ownership."

PMPML CMD Dr Shrikar Pardeshi pointed openly to space constraints as being an issue they are grappling with, saying, "We don't have space to park our buses. We have been pursuing the issue with both municipal corporations. For the security of buses, proper depots are a must."

He added, "We have received a complaint about the security guard issue. We are investigating it."