Laxman Kevate, the conductor of the very first state transport (ST) bus that started its service on the Pune-Ahmednagar route on June 1, 1948, has passed away at the age of 99.
On Wednesday night, Kevate died at his residence in the Maliwada area of Ahmednagar, which is situated approximately 275 km away from Mumbai.
Expressing his condolences, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde tweeted, "Although the life journey of Kevate, who started the journey of ST, has stopped, his work will be remembered forever in the history of ST."
Born on August 17, 1924, Kevate began his career as a conductor on the momentous day of June 1, 1948, when Maharashtra's ST launched its inaugural bus service following the country's independence.
Kevate dedicated 36 years of his life to the state-run corporation before retiring on April 30, 1984. Remarkably, even after his retirement, Kevate continued to actively engage in the activities of the state transport corporation until recently, as stated by the official.
During the corporation's 75th anniversary in 2022, Kevate had the honour of waving the green flag for its first e-Shivai bus, which operated between Ahmednagar and Pune. Despite his age, he enthusiastically participated in an interview for a documentary commemorating the state transport's 75 years of service, according to the official.