JOIN USThe Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) will procure 810 new buses under the Centre’s Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission scheme.
Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said these will replace the old and aged buses.
“We will procure 810 new buses of various types for the BMTC and another 1,200 buses for the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC),” he said.
According to BMTC Managing Director Anjum Parwez, of the 810 new buses as many as 500 buses are non-a/c buses.
“We are now waiting for the funding from the Centre to purchase these 500 buses.
The funding pattern remains 35 per cent from the Centre, 15 per cent from the State and 50 per cent from the BMTC.
On the rest 310 a/c buses approved, we are yet to take a decision on when to call for tender,” said Parwez.
According to the MD, the 500 new buses will replace 600 to 700 old buses which will be scrapped this year. It is said that the BMTC has already placed an order for 500 buses.
The government officials said that the BMTC may defer the purchase of the remaining 310 buses citing ‘financial constraints’.
The transport minister meanwhile said that the department had not stopped services on any single route. “We are withdrawing buses from one route and putting them on another route where the demand is more,” he said.
Attributing financial turmoil to the increase in the wages over the last six years, and high prices of diesel, he said, the wages had touched Rs 899 crore from Rs 250 crore in 2008.
“Even the prices of diesel have gone up exponentially from Rs 32 per litre in 2008 to Rs 62 in 2014. Every hike of 50 paise in diesel prices puts the BMTC under an additional burden of Rs 70 lakh per month,” he said.
On the Volvo bus accident in Mahaboobnagar in Andhra Pradesh, he said the government would pursue action against the company.
“But, we would like to first look at what are the findings of the Andhra Pradesh CoD inquiry report. Once we have the report, the future course of action can be taken against the company and the private travels,” he said.
On whether the department failed to keep tabs on overloading of private goods vehicles and frequent accidents which occur on State highways, Reddy said he was helpless.
“At present, we have only 250 road transport officers (RTO), while the sanctioned posts are 480. We are down by almost 50 per cent, which is hampering our daily work. Further, there is a case pending in the Karnataka High Court on the appointment of a few RTOs. Our hands are tied,” he said.