PMC's Plan to Protect Schoolgirl Buses Under Threat Due to Staff Shortage
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is under crisis due to challenges of executing a plan to have female security guards on buses carrying schoolgirls, a move meant to improve safety after a brutal attack in the Swargate ST bus depot. The affair, which touched off public alarm on a large scale, led the PMC to put forward female guards for the 48 buses that ferry students to and from its 19 schools. But with a dire shortage of security staff and no official sanction for fresh personnel, the program hangs in the balance.
Pune| June 10,2025: The PMC depends on a large number of contractual security guards, with a workforce of 1,565, composed of 275 permanent employees and a composition of 60% male and 40% female workers. The security department further consists of 25 transgender guards, with an intention to recruit another 25. Yet the June expiration of the last security contract left the department short-staffed, with 350 of the 650 approved contractual posts occupied. This deficit has taxed attempts to acquire essential civic assets such as water tanks, playgrounds, and gardens, never mind include protection of school buses.
An additional tender for Rs. 139.92 crore has been floated to appoint around 1,500 security guards, but the proceedings are still pending. The security department has also demanded an extra 400 contractual personnel to fill the vacancy and cope with the new requirement for female guards on the schoolgirls’ buses. Absent authorization of these additional posts, the deployment of guards for the PMPML buses is still out of the question, particularly as schools are set to reopen.
The sense of urgency is compounded by the absence of female attendants on buses run by PMC, as opposed to school transports, which normally have such attendants. School reopening has added pressure on PMC to address the manpower crisis quickly in order to protect students. Biennial retirements also contribute to the staffing shortage, complicating efforts to cope with increasing demands across civic amenities.
Recent deliberations spearheaded by top PMC officials have discussed hiring a minimum of 200 more contractual guards, but nothing has been ultimately decided. The PMC’s delay in signing new recruits threatens to divert from its promise to protect schoolgirls in their commutes. As the civic entity grapples with these organizational challenges, the suggested safety protocols for students hang in the balance, with parents and communities holding out for firm action to secure young commuters.
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