Pune: The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal (PMPML) administration has claimed that Metro work and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses are the reasons for the increasing operational loss of PMPML. In the civic body’s monthly General Body meeting held on Tuesday, the administration shared the details of the loss faced.
While answering a question about the increasing loss, Chairman and Managing Director of PMPML, Nayana Gunde, said, “There are a number of reasons for the increase in operational loss of PMPML, Metro work and CNG buses are among them. Due to Metro work, we have to cancel buses on routes from Vanaz to Ramwadi and PCML to Swargate. Increasing fuel prices is also responsible. CNG buses have more maintenance cost as compared to diesel buses.”
She added, “Bus breakdowns, employees salary, increasing dead kilometre of buses due to lack of bus depot to the station are also reasons for the increase. We will soon add 1,640 new buses to the fleet, which will help to reduce the loss.”
According to PMPML statistics, there was a Rs 167 crore of operational loss in 2015-16. Now, it has reached Rs 244 crore in financial year 2018-19. Meanwhile, the civic body has approved a proposal to give Rs 143.6 crore to compensate for the loss.
The General Body meeting sanctioned an amount of Rs 24 crore. It is the annual practice of the civic administration ever since the PMPML has come into being.
Officials said that the compensation is given to PMPML as part of the contract, which was signed between PMC and PCMC at the time of the merger of the two transport bodies. The PMPML was established in 2007 by merging the then two public transport bodies - Pune Municipal Transport (PMT) and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Transport (PCMT).
