Pune: Businessman and transport activist Sanjay Shitole has claimed that he was heckled and humiliated by some PMPML staffers at a depot for pointing out defects in a bus run by the transport utility.The Regional Transport Office, Pune, cancelled the fitness certificate of the bus following an inspection at the depot.Shitole said he had boarded the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) bus from Swargate on Monday and noticed that the vehicle had no indicator, wiper and first aid box.“There were a few passengers on board. I almost suffered a cut in my hand because of some sharp metal parts jutting out from several places. I drew the driver and the conductor’s attention towards the problem. But both said they could not do much about it,” he said.“I called up an RTO official and told him about the condition of the bus. I told the bus driver that I would go with him to the PMPML depot near the Pune station and talk to the manager of the facility,” Shitole said.Once the bus reached the depot, Shitole had a discussion with the depot manager. “I told the depot manager about the issues with the bus. Trouble started once the RTO inspector reached the depot. Many workers at the depot surrounded me and started to heckle me. They said no other passenger, barring me, had any problem,” he said.“As the RTO official watched on, some staffers said I was insane and should not be taken seriously. All this happened in front of the inspector and the depot supervisor,” he added.The RTO inspector, however, went on with the inspection of the bus and found many faults. His report, a copy of which is with TOI, stated that the horn, indicators, reverse lights and rear brakes of the bus were not working. Besides, the bus did not have a fire extinguisher. “The inspector cancelled the fitness certificate of the bus,” Shitole said.PMPML PRO Subhash Gaikwad said, “We will ensure that the bus hits the road only when it is in a proper shape. We are also looking into the allegation of the staffers’ misbehaviour,” he said.

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