Journalism of Courage
Experts for finance,HR and traffic & transport sections of PMPML lying vacant for three years
The positions of three expert panelists for Finance,Human Resource and Traffic and Transport sections of the PMPML have remained vacant since the formation of PMPML three years ago.
On Monday,additional divisional commissioner R N Joshi was announced as the new CMD of the PMPML.
In May,2008,Babasaheb Galande was appointed as the director of traffic and transport. But that decision met with stiff opposition as Galande was associated with Nationalist Congress Party. Civic activists had called it a political appointment and even filed an RTI to know the procedures followed for the appointment. Since then,the posts of three expert panelists have not been filled by the PMPML.
The three posts need to be filled up. They have remained vacant from the very beginning, a PMPML official said.
Jugal Rathi of PMP Pravasi Manch said,Apart from our demand of appointing a full-time CMD for the PMPML,we have also been consistently demanding for the appointment of these three expert panelists. The lack of such experts has been taking a toll on the overall functioning of the PMPML.
However,there should be no political appointments on these positions. When even a peon is appointed through a due procedure,it is but necessary that the panelists should have expertise in their respective areas, he said.
The first CMD of PMPML was Subarao Patil,followed by Sanjay Kumar,Nitin Khade and Shirish Karle. However,it was about a year ago that Divisional Commissioner of Pune Dilip Band was given this additional charge.
During his tenure,Band had made number of promises such as cashless travel plan,parking facility to be raised at bus depots that are yet to be realised. The city is yet to receive the 500 buses promised under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.
