Coronavirus Outbreak: 18 MSRTC employees succumb to COVID-19 in October

The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) which has been ferrying people during the pandemic had 18 employees succumb to the coronavirus in the month of October.

This takes the total number of COVID-19 victims in the corporation to 79. However, with the addition of 693 cases in a month, the total number of patients has reached 2,486.

In the last few months, employees of the MSRTC have risked their lives to ensure that the services are functional, especially with the local trains ferrying essential service personnel only. Amidst this, several MSRTC employees were also infected with the coronavirus with many succumbing to the disease. Moreover, over 400 ST drivers who were operating the buses and bringing people to Mumbai are facing major inconveniences in the city. In June, 24 employees were infected with the coronavirus. The number rose to 1,793 at the beginning of October. On the other hand, 61 deaths were reported.

The MSRTC has been ferrying an average of 21,500 passengers every day. The buses commute from places such as Virar, Vasai, Mira Road, Nallasopara and Palghar; 16 routes from Panvel and Vashi in Navi Mumbai, and 28 routes in the central region from places like Shahpur, Kalyan, Dombivali, Titwala, Kalwa, Thane and Badlapur.