Maratha quota protests: 46 MSRTC bus depots shut; transport body suffers losses to tune of Rs 13.25 cr | Mumbai News – Times of India

MUMBAI: At least 46 out of 250 bus depots of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) were completely shut due to protests over the reservation for the Maratha community.
It has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 13.25 crore in the last three days, an official said on Monday.
Bus operations in Ahmednagar, Aurangabad, Parbhani, Hingoli, Jalna, Nanded, and Dharashiv districts have been badly hit by the protests, a spokesperson of the MSRTC said.
As many as 20 buses were torched and 19 were damaged amid the protests over the last three days, he said.
The MSRTC has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 5.25 crore due to damages to the buses and has lost Rs 8 crore in ticket sales due to protests in various parts of the state, the official said.
The MSRTC is one of the biggest public transport bodies in the country, with more than 15,000 buses in its fleet.
It ferries around 60 lakh passengers every day.
‘Must get quota’
Union minister Ramdas Athawale on Monday said the Maratha community must be given reservations in jobs and education without it affecting such provisions for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Addressing a rally of his RPI(A) here, the Union minister for social justice and empowerment condemned the police action on Maratha quota protests in Jalna on September 1.
“The RPI was the first to support reservations for the Maratha community. They must be given quota without it affecting reservations provided to SCs and STs,” he said.
On Friday, police had resorted to baton charge and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse a violent mob in Antarwali Sarathi on Dhule-Solapur road after it allegedly refused to let authorities shift a man on hunger strike as part of the quota stir to the hospital.
Several persons, including 40 police personnel, were injured and more than 15 ST buses were set ablaze.
Some 360 persons have been booked in connection with the violence.
With PTI inputs