All funds spent, buses fall short
The entire Plan fund under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission transport scheme has been spent but KSRTC’s plan to buy 350 low-floor buses for Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam depots has fallen short of target.
Around 40 buses, estimated at Rs20 crore, have to be purchased to meet the target. An AC low-floor Volvo bus costs Rs81 lakh and non-AC low-floor Rs40 lakh.
“We’ve bought a total 303 buses, including the eight we received on Saturday. Now we’ll get four more under the scheme by the year-end,” a top KSRTC official said.
The Urban Transport Ministry records show that Rs124 crore was earmarked for a fleet of 350 buses, 200 for Kochi (Rs71 crore) and 150 (Rs53.40 crore) for Thiruvananthapuram. Officials attribute the fall in target to the price hike by companies midway.
Another factor was both Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram Corporations failing to chip in with their matching share by March last.
Under the JNNURM City Transport Development Programme, the Centre and civic corporations of nine major cities, including Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi, have to pool in resources at a mutually agreed rate to buy the buses.
“Rs124 crore was allotted to the State but the Corporations failed to contribute their share of 20 per cent. We’ve fully used up the share of Central Government (50 per cent) funds. What’s due from corporations has not been received,” KSRTC special officer for JNNURM projects, Mr Sharaf Mohammed, said.
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