Maratha quota agitation: MSRTC bus operations supsended in 5 Marathwada districts

MUMBAI: Services of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses have been stopped completely in five districts of Marathwada in central Maharashtra amid the violence over the demand for quota for the Maratha community, an official said on Tuesday.

Bus services in Parbhani, Dharashiv, Latur, Jalna, and Nanded districts have been suspended completely for the last three-four days while they have been hit to some extent in Beed, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Solapur districts, said the official of the state-owned corporation.

As many as 36 of the 250 bus depots of MSRTC in Maharashtra were shut on account of the agitation as of Monday evening, he said.

More than 85 MSRTC buses were damaged -- the highest 70 in Beed district -- and four buses were torched by agitators over the last four days, the official added.

The agitation for quota intensified after activist Manoj Jarange started a hunger strike over the demand on October 25.

The MSRTC has sustained a loss of Rs 4 crore so far due to damage to its buses and attacks on other properties, the official said.

Further, the corporation has been facing a loss of Rs 2 to 2.5 crore every day due to the suspension of services, he added.

The Corporation has a fleet of around 15,000 buses and ferries around 60 lakh passengers every day.