Mumbai Laxman Kewte, the operator of the first state transport bus that was run on June 1, 1948, on the Pune-Ahmednagar route in Maharashtra, died on Wednesday night. He was 99 years old.
Kevte breathed his last at his residence in Maliwada area of Ahmednagar district, 275 km from Mumbai, Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) officials said on Thursday. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde condoled Kevte’s death in a tweet. “The life journey of Kevte, who started the journey of State Transport (ST), may have come to an end, but his work will always be remembered in the history of ST,” he said.
Kevate was born on 17 August 1924. He started his professional life on June 1, 1948 as a conductor in the state transport. This is also the historic date when the state transport started its first bus service in Maharashtra after independence. An official of the transport corporation said that Kevte worked with the state transport corporation for 36 years. He retired on 30 April 1984. However, even after retirement, he remained active in the activities of the Transport Corporation.