India, Aug. 11 -- The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) has decided that if a bus owned by the corporation breaks down, the maintenance and repair engineer as well as the driver will face a half-day wage deduction. The directive was issued by PMPML chairman and managing director Pankaj Deore on Saturday. The order applies only to corporation-owned buses and does not mention contract-operated buses, prompting strong opposition from employee unions.

PMPML currently operates a fleet of 1,983 buses, comprising 964 corporation-owned and 1,019 contractor-operated buses. Of these, 737 corporation-owned buses are undergoing repairs at various depots. Frequent technical breakdowns, sudden stoppages on routes, and mechanical fail...