Pune: MNS Corporator Vasant More Damages PMC Vehicle To Protest Unavailability Of Ambulances

Mehab Qureshi

Pune, September 7, 2020: Agitating against the poor service provided by Pune Municipal corporation(PMC), Vasant More, a corporator of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena(MNS), smashed the car of Nitin Udas, Deputy Commissioner, Vehicle Depot. This incident took place at the PMC’s Art gallery around noon today. He did it live on Facebook.

While the number of cases of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients seems to be unstoppable, there is a shortage of ambulances. There is also unavailability of vehicles to carry the body of COVID deceased to the cremation ground. The last rites of COVID deceased are only performed at certain cemeteries in the city, and due to non-availability of the ambulance, the funerals are being delayed.

Corporator More informed that his close relative died of COVID on Sunday. Therefore, he tried to get an ambulance from PMC to carry the deceased to the cremation ground. However, the ambulance could not get in time, and his family had to wait for four hours, as a result of which the funeral was also delayed.

“The distance from Bharti Hospital to Katraj Cemetery is only one and a half kilometres. We had to wait four hours to reach this distance. If this is the case with the families of a corporator, then what will happen to the common man?”, More questioned.

He also said that if the municipal officials are not able to provide ambulances and medical services to the citizens in time, they also do not have the right to travel in luxurious vehicles.

More added, “If ambulances cannot be supplied from the PMC vehicle depot, then what is the use of this department? Vehicle Depot is responsible for providing ambulances. The responsibility of cremation in the municipal cemetery lies with the electricity department, and due to lack of coordination among these departments citizens are outraged that the ambulance is not available to transport the body after the death of a patient.”

He continued, “On the one hand, the administration is claiming that everything is going well. But on the other hand, the common citizens are being hit by administrative sensitivities. Today, I have expressed my anger. Tomorrow citizens will take to the streets to express their anger. The government and the municipal administration should improve the system before the citizens take the matter in their hands.”