LUCKNOW, Aug. 9 -- Nearly one in every six Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) buses is currently off the road, with internal records showing a 43% jump in non-operational vehicles within just ten days. The worsening fleet availability comes even as allegations have surfaced that refurbished components recovered from scrapped buses are allegedly being fitted into operational vehicles, a charge denied by the contractor. The latest records accessed by Hindustan Times show that 2,311 buses out of UPSRTC's active fleet of 14,144 were unavailable for operations on August 2, taking the non-utilisation rate to 16%. On July 23, 1,617 of the corporation's 14,221 buses were off the road, accounting for about 11% of the fleet. The data shows that 694 additional buses became unavailable within ten days, a 43% increase. These buses remained out of service because of maintenance, repairs, technical faults and other operational reasons. The situation has worsened in the corporation's premium air-conditioned fleet. Of 992 AC buses, 294 were unavailable on August 2, taking the non-utilisation rate to 29.64%. Ten days earlier, 254 AC buses, or 25.6% of the fleet, were off the road. This means nearly one in every three AC buses was unavailable. The latest figures come months after UPSRTC imposed a Rs.53.5 lakh penalty on its outsourced maintenance contractor over repeated AC bus breakdowns. An official communication issued by the regional manager, Lucknow, in May stated that 88 AC buses broke down during operations in April, causing an estimated revenue loss of Rs.12.59 lakh. Meanwhile, responding to the allegations, Rehman, owner of one of the outsourced maintenance firm, denied any wrongdoing and termed the Rs.53.5 lakh penalty notice "baseless". "If there is any such issue, the department is free to conduct an inspection," he added. Against a scheduled operational target of 9,48,720 km in April, the buses covered only 6,86,998 km. Since the maintenance contract requires buses to operate at least 90% of scheduled kilometres every month, UPSRTC calculated a shortfall of 1,41,110 km below the contractual benchmark and imposed the penalty at Rs.37.92 per kilometre. Despite the action, the latest data suggests the condition of the fleet has continued to deteriorate. Multiple sources familiar with the contracts alleged that components recovered from condemned UPSRTC buses are being refurbished and installed in buses currently in operation. Responding to the findings, UPSRTC managing director Prabhu Narain Singh said the increase in non-operational buses was linked to the corporation's scheduled maintenance cycle. "Passenger load remains low during the present and next month, so we undertake major repair and maintenance work during this period. This exercise will continue till September so that the fleet is fully prepared for the festive season," he told Hindustan Times. On the penalty imposed on the maintenance contractor, Singh said it was in accordance with the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and contractual provisions governing the 19 outsourced depots. "The penalties are based on the KPIs and agreements between UPSRTC and the outsourced depots, and this practice will continue," he said. "A special review of all 19 outsourced depots is being carried out. Last month, three depots were identified for detailed inspection, and teams from the headquarters were sent to review their functioning," he added. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior UPSRTC official alleged that recurring major breakdowns were linked to the use of previously used components during repairs....