Nagpur: A serious lapse has come to light in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s transport department after several conductors having multiple ticket-related cases against them were allegedly allowed to continue in service despite a clear proposal recommending termination after three offences. Internal records reviewed by TOI show at least a dozen conductors are facing repeated cases, some with five to eight incidents, yet their IDs remained active and penalties were treated as routine instead of being escalated for disciplinary action.According to rules, any conductor caught in three cases — particularly involving ticket irregularities or cash discrepancies — is to be terminated to curb mounting financial losses in the city bus service. However, despite repeated incidents, action in several cases was limited to fines or open comments for review, raising serious questions over the role of the concerned authorities responsible for initiating disciplinary proceedings. The issue has now triggered a formal inquiry against labour officer Arun Pipurde, who reportedly handled these cases.Sources in the transport wing said the lenient approach has emboldened errant staff and weakened the department’s enforcement mechanism. The NMC’s own website lists Pipurde as labour officer in the transport department, responsible for personnel-related actions involving conductors and other staff. Officials admitted that the transport wing is already struggling to control losses and operational inefficiencies, and failure to act against repeat offenders has further dented accountability.The controversy has erupted at a time when corporators have begun a detailed review of decisions taken during the four-year administrative rule, with several departments, including the transport wing, coming under scrutiny for alleged irregularities and lack of accountability.The inquiry against Pipurde gains further significance as he was recently served a show-cause notice by the civic administration for allegedly overstepping his authority and signing official documents as an administrative officer — a position far above his rank. The notice, issued by the additional municipal commissioner, accuses him of misusing his position and violating departmental protocol by signing 10-15 internal communications in the absence of an administrative officer.Corporators have now demanded that the administration explain why the termination rule was not implemented and whether any official deliberately protected repeat offenders. With repeated cases piling up and losses mounting in the bus service, the focus has now shifted from errant conductors to the officers who failed to act — and the inquiry into the labour officer is expected to decide whether the lapse was negligence or a larger administrative failure.Transport committee chairperson Mangala Khekre said the dept would not tolerate any irregularity. “If found involved, legal action, including termination, will be initiated,” she said.INFOBOX: REPEAT-CASE CONDUCTORS KEPT IN SERVICE DESPITE ‘3-CASE TERMINATION’ RULERecords accessed by TOI show multiple conductors continued in service even after repeated violationsKey cases cleared despite multiple offences:Sachin Mendhe (ID 70410)4 incidents | 34 total cases recorded | Highest: 27 cases in one instance | Penalty imposed but no termination | “Blacklisting” mentioned but ID not closedEknath Chandrashekhar (ID 70675)6 incidents | 26 total cases | Highest: 14 in a single instance | Heavy penalty imposed but service continuedUma Santape (ID 70047)5 incidents | 22 total cases | Only penalty action taken | ID remains activeAshish Dandekar (ID 70006)8 incidents | 16 total cases | Multiple violations across instances | Penalty imposed, no dismissalRajendra Choudhari (ID 70486)6 incidents | 16 total cases | Repeated violations recorded | Case marked “open for NMC review” but no terminationKishor Raut (ID 70527)5 incidents | 16 total cases | Highest: 7 in one instance | Continued in serviceSomnath Barve (ID 70053)4 incidents | 10 total cases | Action limited to penalty only
