PUNE: The rift between elected peoples’ representatives and PMPML CMD Tukaram Mundhe came forth on Friday during the public transport body’s Board of Directors (BOD) meeting.
The elected members alleged that Mundhe is becoming arrogant and is not listening to them. They told Sakal Times that they had gone to attend the BOD meeting and had raised citizen-related issues, mainly cancelling of some routes. Mundhe aggressively opposed the closure of some of the loss making routes. As both the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations are bearing the losses incurred by the PMPML, it is PMPML’s duty to take the leaders into confidence while taking policy decisions.
Mundhe was not ready to listen to the leaders, particularly from Pimpri-Chinchwad. Later, as he stood up to leave the meeting, the corporators became aggressive and there was a brief heated exchange of words between them. An angry PCMC Standing Committee Chairman Seema Savale said Mundhe should visit the PCMC to understand the elected members’ views.
PMC Standing Committee Chairman Murlidhar Mohol said the meeting did not take any policy decisions. There were discussions about procuring 800 new buses. The PMPML administration was of the view that diesel instead of CNG buses should be purchased. The elected and other members sought a time frame to take a decision on the issue and asked the PMPML to prepare a detailed report.
