PCOs on MSRTC buses brake to a halt
indianexpress: Several pre-paid public call office booths (PCOs) — installed by Bharati Airtel Limited in the buses belonging to the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) — have fallen dead.
The MSRTC’s Pune division has not recharged the PCOs claiming that the scheme is not feasible. However, Airtel officials argue that the PCOs are receiving tremendous response.
When this reporter scanned about 20 MSRTC buses leaving on various routes from Swargate, not one PCO was functioning. Some of the PCOs were in damaged condition.
P P Nimsarkar, Divisional Controller of MSRTC, Pune said PCOs have stopped functioning two months after they were installed in May and June. “Airtel was responsible for maintenance of these PCOs. But the company has failed to provide proper service,” he said.
Nimsarkar said several PCOs are damaged. Many times the PCOs were not getting the range. Also, the passengers were not able to stand and talk comfortably from these PCOs when the bus was moving. So we have not recharged the PCOs again,” he said. “Last month, we have reported to senior authorities that PCO scheme is not feasible,” he said.
Shailesh Chavan, divisional traffic officer at MSRTC, Pune said that Airtel has appointed a firm, Fortune India, for carrying out PCOs’ maintenance. When contacted, officials at the Mumbai office of the firm said damaged PCOs in buses in Pune would be repaired at the earliest. .
