Over the last 48 hours, a minimum of 13 Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation ( MSRTC) buses have been vandalized, with four incidents occurring on Monday, due to the ongoing Maratha quota protest in Maharashtra. As a result of this unrest, the state-run transport corporation has made the decision to suspend operations in 30 out of its 250 depots, as confirmed by an official.
Nine buses were damaged on Sunday, he said, adding the 30 depots where operations have been stopped are in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division of MSRTC. All MSRTC depots in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division, except 17 depots in Beed, Dharashiv (formerly Osmanabad) and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar zones in the division, have been shut, he said.
MSRTC has a fleet of 15,000 buses and ferries around 60 lakh persons per day on routes across the state. Protests have been taking place in various parts of the state seeking reservation in jobs and education for the Maratha community.