Pune: The alleged rape of a preoperative counsellor (26) by a criminal on police records in a Shivshahi bus parked at the MSRTC’s Swargate terminus on Tuesday morning has brought to the fore the lack of security at one of the largest state transport facilities in the city.
Located at the key Jedhe junction and right opposite the Swargate police station, the terminus witnesses a daily footfall of 60,000 passengers and 600 bus movements. However, commuters are of the view that the terminus is all about “chaos and sense of insecurity”. Open access to private vehicles, lack of monitoring at the entry-exit gates, unattended buses, and the presence of private bus agents are among the major concerns here.
“At any given time, the depot is all about chaos. There’s a tremendous sense of insecurity among the visitors, especially women, because of lack of vigilance. What happened on Tuesday is a horror,” a commuter said.
In the early hours of Tuesday, the preoperative counsellor with a city hospital reached Swargate terminus for a trip to her home in Phaltan and was waiting at a spot, police said. At this point, the man asked her where she was headed. A little later, he told her that an early morning Phaltan-bound bus was waiting in the nearby parking area. Police said the man then took her to the bus, but she wondered if anybody had entered the bus, as there were no lights, no driver, no conductor around. The man asked her to get in and use her cellphone torch to check if people have taken seats. Soon after the woman entered the bus, the man followed her, bolted the door and committed the crime.
A day after the crime, the scene inside and outside the depot continued to be as chaotic as ever. With no proper checks at the entry-exit points, it was easy for private vehicles to reach the bus platforms. Moreover, many bikers were seen riding through the terminus to avoid long waits at the busy Jedhe chowk. Autorickshaws were seen occupying space at both the entry and exit points. There were no checks at the depots where many buses were parked, with the doors and windows unlocked.
MSRTC had installed boom barriers at the entry-exit points of Swargate terminus and deployed additional security guards at the gates after a driver, Santosh Mane, had taken out a bus from the parking and mowed down nine people on Jan 25, 2012. The MSRTC drivers were then instructed to park buses only inside the depot and keep the doors and windows of the vehicles locked. Most of the measures introduced then were seen missing at the terminus on Wednesday.
Sangita Wakade, who travels from Swargate, said she often fails to spot security guards, police or women constables at the terminus. “Despite the significant footfall, adequate security measures are missing. People not availing bus services are often seen loitering in the terminus. This is alarming,” Wakade said.
An MSRTC official said the administration has deployed 12 guards, four each in three shifts, at the terminus. However, the commuters said security and vigilance should be increased at the terminus, especially after the latest crime.
Abhishek Raut, another commuter at the terminus, said, “There is no monitoring of the buses parked at the terminus. Anyone can enter anytime. This is not at all safe. The doors of many buses are not locked. Earlier, there used to be announcements about security measures to alert commuters. Such announcements are now a thing of the past.”
Sources said some scrapped buses were still occupying space at the terminus, though in a corner. The commuters said the area where the scrapped buses were parked “looks unsafe”.
Pune: The alleged rape of a preoperative counsellor (26) by a criminal on police records in a Shivshahi bus parked at the MSRTC’s Swargate terminus on Tuesday morning has brought to the fore the lack of security at one of the largest state transport facilities in the city.
Located at the key Jedhe junction and right opposite the Swargate police station, the terminus witnesses a daily footfall of 60,000 passengers and 600 bus movements. However, commuters are of the view that the terminus is all about “chaos and sense of insecurity”. Open access to private vehicles, lack of monitoring at the entry-exit gates, unattended buses, and the presence of private bus agents are among the major concerns here.
“At any given time, the depot is all about chaos. There’s a tremendous sense of insecurity among the visitors, especially women, because of lack of vigilance. What happened on Tuesday is a horror,” a commuter said.
In the early hours of Tuesday, the preoperative counsellor with a city hospital reached Swargate terminus for a trip to her home in Phaltan and was waiting at a spot, police said. At this point, the man asked her where she was headed. A little later, he told her that an early morning Phaltan-bound bus was waiting in the nearby parking area. Police said the man then took her to the bus, but she wondered if anybody had entered the bus, as there were no lights, no driver, no conductor around. The man asked her to get in and use her cellphone torch to check if people have taken seats. Soon after the woman entered the bus, the man followed her, bolted the door and committed the crime.
A day after the crime, the scene inside and outside the depot continued to be as chaotic as ever. With no proper checks at the entry-exit points, it was easy for private vehicles to reach the bus platforms. Moreover, many bikers were seen riding through the terminus to avoid long waits at the busy Jedhe chowk. Autorickshaws were seen occupying space at both the entry and exit points. There were no checks at the depots where many buses were parked, with the doors and windows unlocked.
MSRTC had installed boom barriers at the entry-exit points of Swargate terminus and deployed additional security guards at the gates after a driver, Santosh Mane, had taken out a bus from the parking and mowed down nine people on Jan 25, 2012. The MSRTC drivers were then instructed to park buses only inside the depot and keep the doors and windows of the vehicles locked. Most of the measures introduced then were seen missing at the terminus on Wednesday.
Sangita Wakade, who travels from Swargate, said she often fails to spot security guards, police or women constables at the terminus. “Despite the significant footfall, adequate security measures are missing. People not availing bus services are often seen loitering in the terminus. This is alarming,” Wakade said.
An MSRTC official said the administration has deployed 12 guards, four each in three shifts, at the terminus. However, the commuters said security and vigilance should be increased at the terminus, especially after the latest crime.
Abhishek Raut, another commuter at the terminus, said, “There is no monitoring of the buses parked at the terminus. Anyone can enter anytime. This is not at all safe. The doors of many buses are not locked. Earlier, there used to be announcements about security measures to alert commuters. Such announcements are now a thing of the past.”
Sources said some scrapped buses were still occupying space at the terminus, though in a corner. The commuters said the area where the scrapped buses were parked “looks unsafe”.
Located at the key Jedhe junction and right opposite the Swargate police station, the terminus witnesses a daily footfall of 60,000 passengers and 600 bus movements. However, commuters are of the view that the terminus is all about “chaos and sense of insecurity”. Open access to private vehicles, lack of monitoring at the entry-exit gates, unattended buses, and the presence of private bus agents are among the major concerns here.
“At any given time, the depot is all about chaos. There’s a tremendous sense of insecurity among the visitors, especially women, because of lack of vigilance. What happened on Tuesday is a horror,” a commuter said.
In the early hours of Tuesday, the preoperative counsellor with a city hospital reached Swargate terminus for a trip to her home in Phaltan and was waiting at a spot, police said. At this point, the man asked her where she was headed. A little later, he told her that an early morning Phaltan-bound bus was waiting in the nearby parking area. Police said the man then took her to the bus, but she wondered if anybody had entered the bus, as there were no lights, no driver, no conductor around. The man asked her to get in and use her cellphone torch to check if people have taken seats. Soon after the woman entered the bus, the man followed her, bolted the door and committed the crime.
A day after the crime, the scene inside and outside the depot continued to be as chaotic as ever. With no proper checks at the entry-exit points, it was easy for private vehicles to reach the bus platforms. Moreover, many bikers were seen riding through the terminus to avoid long waits at the busy Jedhe chowk. Autorickshaws were seen occupying space at both the entry and exit points. There were no checks at the depots where many buses were parked, with the doors and windows unlocked.
MSRTC had installed boom barriers at the entry-exit points of Swargate terminus and deployed additional security guards at the gates after a driver, Santosh Mane, had taken out a bus from the parking and mowed down nine people on Jan 25, 2012. The MSRTC drivers were then instructed to park buses only inside the depot and keep the doors and windows of the vehicles locked. Most of the measures introduced then were seen missing at the terminus on Wednesday.
Sangita Wakade, who travels from Swargate, said she often fails to spot security guards, police or women constables at the terminus. “Despite the significant footfall, adequate security measures are missing. People not availing bus services are often seen loitering in the terminus. This is alarming,” Wakade said.
An MSRTC official said the administration has deployed 12 guards, four each in three shifts, at the terminus. However, the commuters said security and vigilance should be increased at the terminus, especially after the latest crime.
Abhishek Raut, another commuter at the terminus, said, “There is no monitoring of the buses parked at the terminus. Anyone can enter anytime. This is not at all safe. The doors of many buses are not locked. Earlier, there used to be announcements about security measures to alert commuters. Such announcements are now a thing of the past.”
Sources said some scrapped buses were still occupying space at the terminus, though in a corner. The commuters said the area where the scrapped buses were parked “looks unsafe”.
Pune: The alleged rape of a preoperative counsellor (26) by a criminal on police records in a Shivshahi bus parked at the MSRTC’s Swargate terminus on Tuesday morning has brought to the fore the lack of security at one of the largest state transport facilities in the city.
Located at the key Jedhe junction and right opposite the Swargate police station, the terminus witnesses a daily footfall of 60,000 passengers and 600 bus movements. However, commuters are of the view that the terminus is all about “chaos and sense of insecurity”. Open access to private vehicles, lack of monitoring at the entry-exit gates, unattended buses, and the presence of private bus agents are among the major concerns here.
“At any given time, the depot is all about chaos. There’s a tremendous sense of insecurity among the visitors, especially women, because of lack of vigilance. What happened on Tuesday is a horror,” a commuter said.
In the early hours of Tuesday, the preoperative counsellor with a city hospital reached Swargate terminus for a trip to her home in Phaltan and was waiting at a spot, police said. At this point, the man asked her where she was headed. A little later, he told her that an early morning Phaltan-bound bus was waiting in the nearby parking area. Police said the man then took her to the bus, but she wondered if anybody had entered the bus, as there were no lights, no driver, no conductor around. The man asked her to get in and use her cellphone torch to check if people have taken seats. Soon after the woman entered the bus, the man followed her, bolted the door and committed the crime.
A day after the crime, the scene inside and outside the depot continued to be as chaotic as ever. With no proper checks at the entry-exit points, it was easy for private vehicles to reach the bus platforms. Moreover, many bikers were seen riding through the terminus to avoid long waits at the busy Jedhe chowk. Autorickshaws were seen occupying space at both the entry and exit points. There were no checks at the depots where many buses were parked, with the doors and windows unlocked.
MSRTC had installed boom barriers at the entry-exit points of Swargate terminus and deployed additional security guards at the gates after a driver, Santosh Mane, had taken out a bus from the parking and mowed down nine people on Jan 25, 2012. The MSRTC drivers were then instructed to park buses only inside the depot and keep the doors and windows of the vehicles locked. Most of the measures introduced then were seen missing at the terminus on Wednesday.
Sangita Wakade, who travels from Swargate, said she often fails to spot security guards, police or women constables at the terminus. “Despite the significant footfall, adequate security measures are missing. People not availing bus services are often seen loitering in the terminus. This is alarming,” Wakade said.
An MSRTC official said the administration has deployed 12 guards, four each in three shifts, at the terminus. However, the commuters said security and vigilance should be increased at the terminus, especially after the latest crime.
Abhishek Raut, another commuter at the terminus, said, “There is no monitoring of the buses parked at the terminus. Anyone can enter anytime. This is not at all safe. The doors of many buses are not locked. Earlier, there used to be announcements about security measures to alert commuters. Such announcements are now a thing of the past.”
Sources said some scrapped buses were still occupying space at the terminus, though in a corner. The commuters said the area where the scrapped buses were parked “looks unsafe”.