The APSRTC is planning to purchase over 1,400 buses under JNNURM Phase I this year to streamline its operations in Hyderabad, Tirupati, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.
The Jawarharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) is a project dedicated to the development of road network, urban transportation, water supply and sanitation and housing.
The Corporation’s plan to purchase 1,400 buses is in accordance with the Ministry of Urban Development’s directive to all State transport undertakings to draft the requirement of buses under the scheme.
The Corporation had purchased 1,540 luxury buses under JNNURM phase-I scheme in 2010-11. Of these, 1,000 were sanctioned for Hyderabad and the rest for Vijayawada, Tirupati and Visakhapatnam.
Of the total cost of about Rs. 340 crore spent on purchasing the buses, 50 per cent was funded by the Ministry of Urban Development, 15 per cent was borne by the State Government and the rest by the Corporation.
Unlike the last procurement, when many low-floor, air-conditioned and semi-floor buses were introduced, the Corporation this time will be buying more ordinary buses.
According to the plan, as many as 830 buses will be purchased for Hyderabad, 315 for Tirupati, 150 each for Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam at an estimated cost of Rs. 380 crore, said a senior official. The Corporation also plans to design and build bus bodies at its unit in Miyapur for different reasons. There were complaints from employees about repeated problems, including technical snags in air-conditioning system. In fact, a report was also sent to the JNNURM authorities on these problems, he added.
Enhanced costs
This apart, in the previous lot, the body of the buses was too big, and there were many technical features that did not help the RTC. All these features enhanced cost by nearly Rs. 5 lakh. In the report, the Corporation suggested that the JNNURM authorities permit the RTC to design and build bodies.
