MSRTC bus broken rooftop viral video: Official suspended, probe initiated

Another MSRTC official said an officer of the mechanical engineering department in Gadchiroli has been suspended for being responsible for poor maintenance. Screengrab/viral video

A bus of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has been caught on camera running with the outer covering of its rooftop getting detached from one side and fluttering in the air, prompting the authorities to initiate a probe into it, news agency PTI reported.

The bus was plying in Gadchiroli district of the state, an official said, adding a staffer responsible for the maintenance of vehicles was suspended. A video of the bus went viral on social media on Wednesday.

When contacted, MSRTC vice chairman and managing director Shekhar Channe told PTI that the bus belongs to the Aheri depot in Gadchiroli district.

"A probe has been ordered into the incident. Action is being taken against the officer concerned," he told news agency PTI.

Another MSRTC official said an officer of the mechanical engineering department in Gadchiroli has been suspended for being responsible for poor maintenance of the bus.

The bus was plying on the Gadchiroli-Aheri route and the entire rooftop of the vehicle did not come out, but only the outer fibre portion above the driver's cabin was broken and fluttered in the air while the bus was running on the highway, he said. The external aluminium rooftop portion over the passengers' cabin and the inner layer of the rooftop of the entire bus was intact, the official said.

"The crew of the bus and passengers were unaware about the broken rooftop. After people from some other vehicle pointed it out to the bus crew members, the latter asked them to shoot a video," he told PTI.

State Transport Commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar did not respond to a query on whether any action would be taken in this connection by the Regional Transport Office (RTO).

The MSRTC is one of the biggest public transport bodies in the country with more than 15,000 buses in its fleet. It ferries around 60 lakh passengers everyday.

A union leader in the MSRTC claimed the condition of state transport buses is bad due to poor maintenance, especially after the pandemic, and several passengers face troubles due to leaking buses.

(PTI)