Journalism of Courage
The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has incurred losses to the tune of Rs 50 crore over the past 10 days. The losses are due to cancellations of bus services and damage to MSRTC properties, due to the floods across parts of Maharashtra.
According to officials, in the flood-affected districts of Kolhapur, Sangli, Pune and Satara, the MSRTC had to cancel more than 55,000 trips that led to a revenue loss of at least Rs 11 crore. “In Kolhapur alone, we were forced to cancel at least 29,500 trips in the past 10 days. In Sangli, we cancelled 8,060 trips,” said an MSRTC official. Follow Weather forecast today LIVE Updates
“The rains and resulting floods and waterlogging have affected MSRTC services across the state. Outside western Maharashtra, even in places where floods have not been reported, cancellations have happened. For example, in Marathwada division, thousands of trips have been cancelled due to rain-related issues,” said the official. According to officials, the total loss suffered by the MSRTC across the state was at least Rs 5 crore per day.
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“Apart from revenue loss, the damage to buses, depots, machinery and equipment has also cost us dearly,” said the official. According to officials, with cancellation of 29,517 trips in Kolhapur from August 1 to 9, revenue of Rs 3.3 crore has been lost. Similarly, Sangli division has cancelled 8,060 trips causing a revenue loss of Rs 4.25 crore. Satara has cancelled 6,000 trips and Pune has cancelled 4,000. Most of the buses were running from Pune and Satara to Kolhapur and other parts of Karnataka.
