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The Pune division of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has established special teams to track down and prosecute any criminals caught robbing passengers inside ST platforms, primarily students and those going to and from Pune (to other parts of Maharashtra).
According to Ramakant Gaikwad, the division controller for MSRTC Pune, "It's the rainy season, and many students are traveling to Pune from all across the state for work relating to admissions. Prior to the summer break, we had sent more workers to keep an eye on extra buses, and anyone who was not authorized was strongly forbidden from accessing the stands. Once more, they are more numerous within the ST stands. There have been more touts inside ST stands recently, especially at night, and both customers and workers have complained about it. In order to combat these illegal private agents, we have established squads that will identify them and present them to the relevant law enforcement.
MSRTC authorities have noticed unauthorized agents accessing ST stops for a few months now, especially at night, to entice customers with the promise of lower fares. At Swargate police station, a number of complaints like this had been made a few years prior. The MSRTC Pune division claims that these touts and their travel companies leave their buses and other smaller vehicles parked outside ST stands while still luring customers away from the ST stands with the promise of lower charges. While MSRTC employees can capture these touts, they are powerless to do much about it; frequently, they are just turned over to the neighborhood police departments.Â
