Pune: PMPML Bus Runs Over 79-Year-Old Woman at Hadapsar Depot, Kills Her
Hadapsar, 30th October 2026: A 79-year-old woman was killed after a Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) bus allegedly driven rashly ran over her inside the Hadapsar Gadital bus depot on Thursday morning. The incident has once again raised questions over reckless driving by bus drivers and the functioning of the transport utility’s administration.
The deceased was identified as Kamalabai Dadu Londhe, a resident of Camp. Her son, Surendra Londhe, lodged a complaint with the police. The incident took place around 11.45am. Hadapsar police detained the bus driver, Tushar Devidas Kamthe, and registered a case against him.
According to senior inspector Hemant Patil, Londhe was standing inside the bus depot premises when a speeding PMPML bus travelling from Hinjewadi to Bhekrai Nagar hit her. She was trapped underneath the bus. Local residents rushed to the spot, pulled her out and took her to Sassoon General Hospital. However, doctors declared her dead before treatment due to the severity of her injuries.
Shiv Sena Pune city chief Pramod alias Nana Bhangire expressed anger over the incident and questioned how many more lives would have to be lost before the administration took action.
He said Londhe was crushed by a bus belonging to PMPML’s Bhekrai Nagar depot at Hadapsar Gadital. Similar accidents had claimed lives in the past, yet the transport utility had failed to take adequate corrective measures, he alleged.
Bhangire also questioned whether PMPML had any control over drivers employed by private contractors and whether the administration would act only after more people lost their lives.
The fatal accident has also brought the traffic management situation at Hadapsar Gadital junction into focus. Traffic congestion has been worsening due to the movement of PMPML buses, heavy vehicles and unauthorised autorickshaw stands along the roadside.
Residents have alleged that bus and autorickshaw drivers frequently violate traffic rules, while traffic police fail to take adequate action. Buses exiting the Hadapsar depot further add to the congestion at the junction, resulting in vehicles getting entangled.
Residents have demanded that traffic signals at the junction be kept operational for at least 10 seconds to regulate vehicle movement.
Traffic officials said bus drivers were regularly instructed to follow traffic rules and action was taken whenever complaints were received. They added that if any driver was found violating traffic regulations, the traffic police should initiate appropriate legal action.
The latest incident comes barely 10 days after another serious accident on the Gadital-Saswad Road, near the Gliding Centre gate. A PMPML bus allegedly hit a young woman riding a two-wheeler from behind, leaving her with severe leg injuries that eventually led to amputation. The woman was preparing for police recruitment, but the accident shattered her dream.
Residents and political representatives have alleged that PMPML bus drivers continue to drive recklessly despite repeated accidents, while both the transport utility’s administration and traffic police have failed to ensure accountability.
