PUNE: Minister of state for transport Madhuri Misal on Saturday admitted that there were some lacunae in security measures at state transport depots, including one in Swargate, and said officials sometimes failed to implement govt mandates at the ground level.
She inspected MSRTC’s Swargate depot premises where a 26-year-old woman was raped inside a stationary bus on Tuesday. Later, she held a review meeting with transport officials. Incidentally, the bus depot comes under Parvati assembly constituency, which Misal represents.
“It will have to be admitted that while higher authorities in govt give instructions, some officials do not follow them at the ground level. In the past, as an elected representative, I too had raised certain security-related issues at Swargate depot, but some of them were not addressed,” the minister said.
The rape exposed a lack of security and presence of anti-social elements on the depot premises, she said. “The nuisance of touts and private operators continues to persist, and after inspection, I realised that the complaint redressal cell is missing. Govt has already initiated an inquiry after the unfortunate incident, and those who are found guilty will face strict punishment,” Misal said.
About defunct buses occupying space at various depots, Misal said, “Govt has decided to scrap all the defunct buses by April 15 this year. We are also taking various steps to ensure public safety, especially of women passengers, which include increasing the CCTV network, deployment of women security guards, and formation of a vigilance cell.”
