PUNE: The Pune Traffic Police Department cracked the whip on three Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) buses on Sunday, putting jammers on them because they were parked outside the Katraj bus stand. However, fines were not levied on them.
The department launched a similar drive last year to control traffic congestion, not hesitating to impose a fine of Rs 5,000 like they did last year, if PMPML buses are found parked on the roadside or parked more than 30 minutes in case of bus breakdown.
However, the PMPML administration has questioned the police’s action as they claim the buses were parked inside the main bus stand premises.
“They put barricades at the lane of Katraj main bus stand in the last month of January to make a dedicated way for the buses to pass, but without informing us, the traffic police department removed these barricades on February 4,” said a senior officer of the PMPML, on condition of anonymity.
PMPML Traffic Manager Anant Waghmare said, “After the barricades were removed by the traffic police department, we made a written complaint to the Police Commissioner in this regard on February 5.”
Waghmare said, “There is not enough space at the bus stand to accommodate the buses, therefore several buses are parked in front of the main bus stand, which is far from the main road and do not cause any traffic congestion.”
“Though after the PMPML has clarified its stand in a written complaint to the Police Commissioner about the Katraj bus stand and its high bus frequency, and also cooperating with the traffic police, we are not expecting such action,” said Waghmare.
