ST bus conductor dies of Covid-19; relatives demand action against depot manager

Aurangabad, March 2:

A bus conductor of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has died of Covid-19 while undergoing treatment in a private hospital today morning. He had returned after performing his duty on BEST buses in Mumbai nine days ago. It is learnt that the conductor had appealed to his superiors not to send him to Mumbai as he had undergone bypass surgery and sugar levels are frequently fluctuating, but his plea was taken for granted.

The name of the deceased conductor is Ranjit Chavan. He was rendering his duties at Central Bus Stand (Mill Corner). He served BEST buses in Mumbai on February 19 and 20 and returned home on February 21. He had not undergone any Covid-19 test. After a leave of two days, he performed his duty on the Nasik route from February 24 to 27. Later on, he did not report on duty as his health started deteriorating. He was admitted to a private hospital in Mukundwadi locality on Monday. On testing, he was reported as Covid-19 positive.

Plea to superiors

It is learnt that Chavan had written a request letter to the divisional controller Arun Siya on January 18, mentioning that he had undergone bypass surgery and his unstable sugar levels (which was scaling above 350). He had also enclosed the laboratory report with the letter. Despite this, his depot manager Sunil Shinde relieved him for BEST service and sent him to Mumbai, claimed the relatives.

Harassment after death

Angry family members and MSRTC employees gathered outside the hospital on Tuesday. The divisional transport officer (DTO) Amol Ahire spoke to the relatives. However, they clarified it to him that they will not perform the last rites of Chavan until action is not taken against the depot manager Sunil Shinde, file offence against him and submit a written assurance offering a job to deceased Chavan's son. The body was lying in the hospital till the evening as the written assurance was not given to them. Appropriate action and help are needed to the family, said Abhijit Chandel (nephew), Pankaj Pasha and others. The AMC squad waited for four hours to perform the last rites and returned back.

Action after inquiry

The divisional controller Arun Siya said, " The corporation will extend all help as per norms in the case. The relatives had demanded action against the depot manager, who is the authority to decide at the depot-level. The action would be taken as per MSRTC norms after the inquiry."

Meanwhile, the efforts to contact depot manager Sunil Shinde proved futile as he did not receive the call despite making repeated attempts to speak to him.