Pankaj Deore Thursday was appointed the new chairman and managing director (CMD) of the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML), the city’s public transport utility, to replace Deepa Mudhol Munde before she could complete her tenure.
Before being posted as PMPML chief, Deore was the chairman of the District Caste Validity Committee in Latur. Meanwhile, Munde has been posted as Commissioner, Social Welfare, Pune.
Munde was appointed as the chief of PMPML in July 2024, but was transferred before completing the standard three-year tenure.
Before Munde, Sachindra Pratap Singh was appointed as PMPML CMD, and was similarly transferred just three months after his appointment in October 2023.
PMPML has been in a dire state for the past many years. The Indian Express reported in April this year that Pune needs 4,000 to 6,000 buses according to various studies, but has only 2,000 buses since at least 2021.
An Institute for Transportation and Development Policy study highlighted that Pune requires 4,500 buses, while a Comprehensive Mobility Plan developed by the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha Metro) stated that the city needs over 6,000 buses.
However, the actual numbers are much lower. In April 2022, the fleet number stood at 1,959, in February 2023, at 2,083, in February 2024 at 2,009, and in February 2025 at 1,916.
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In addition to this change, other officers were also transferred in the city.
Trigun Kulkarni was posted as the Deputy Director General of YASHADA, Satishkumar Khadake was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority, Dnyaneshwar Khilari was appointed as the Additional Settlement Commissioner and Additional Director of Land Records, and Mahesh Patil was appointed as the Commissioner of the Tribal Research and Training Institute.
Similarly, Manjiri Manolkar is now the Managing Director, Maharashtra State Farming Corporation, Sonali Mule is the Director (OBC) at Bahujan Welfare, and Gajendra Bawne has been posted as Commissioner, Ground Survey Development Agency.
