COIMBATORE: A TNSTC driver sat on a protest in front of the mechanic office in Ukkadam Bus Depot, alleging poor maintenance of the bus he drives.
P Nandhakumar (52) who drives the bus between Coimbatore and Theni, alleged that the issues had not been rectified despite him logging complaints for more than two months.
After completing duty, on November 26, Nandhakumar parked the bus (TN38 N 3100) and sat on a protest in front the Assistant Engineer office of the Mechanic department. Co-workers recorded the incident and circulated it on social media.
"I have been raising multiple complaints for a long time. I pointed out that brake, clutch, wheel alignment, steering and radiator needed repairs. I have been mentioning them in the logbook after my duty. But they have not been attended so far," the driver told TNIE. "On duty, I operate the bus for over 550 km. I am the guardian of my passengers. To register my opposition to the apathy of the officials, I wrote the complaint on the logbook sitting in front of the office. After the protest, the bus was sent for maintenance," he added.
M Anburaj, a member of the union, said, "After completing duty, a driver should record his complaint on the bus if he found any. It should be rectified before the bus is taken for the next ride. But, even brake issues are not taken seriously. A depot having 100 buses needs a minimum of 35 technical workers. But, all the depots have less than 18 workers. Also, there is always a shortage of spares forcing technical workers to remove spare parts from one bus and fix it on another. It has become a routine affair in the depot."
When contacted, Ukkadam - I Bus Depot Branch Manager Allwin denied the charges. "All the buses are properly maintained. There was no truth in the employee's complaint."