Poor maintenance of Tamil Nadu State Transportation Corporation (TNSTC) buses is a cause for concern, especially after the Nilgiris bus accident that led to the rumour that the bus was not roadworthy.
Financial crunch, lack of spares and official apathy to maintenance of buses was worrying, leaders of the Labour Progressive Front (LPF) said here on Monday.
A TNSTC driver in Madurai drove a poorly-maintained bus to the RTO office instead of the bus stand recently, obtained an “unfit” certificate from the authorities and submitted it to the TNSTC officials after parking the vehicle in the depot. This pointed to poor maintenance , they said.
S. Periyasamy, zonal president of LPF, said even essential repairs were not carried out because of non availability of spares. The drivers had no option, but to operate these buses, he said.
The government used to replace 6000 to 7000 buses every year, but this was given up after 2010. Government buses should be replaced every six years, however only 1800 new buses were replaced during the last eight years, he alleged.
Even the essential total lubricant service was not done periodically. Worn-out brake linings and brake drums were not replaced. Even the vacuum leaks led to failure of the hand brake.
Mr. Periyasamy suggested that CCTV cameras should be fitted at the entrance and in the maintenance yard of depots to ensure transparency. Denying the allegations, a top official of the TNSTC in Coimbatore said the corporation was undertaking maintenance of buses regularly, including periodical changing of engine oil and diesel filter. ``We are keeping a chart for regular maintenance of each and every bus at all depots. '' the official added.
