Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said on Wednesday that 545 city buses under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) would be introduced in many towns of the State by the end of March 2015.
Speaking to reporters after inspecting the KSRTC Bus Deport and construction of JNNURM Bus Depot here, Mr. Reddy said these included 30 city buses each under JNNURM for Udupi and Bhadravati, 35 each for Mangaluru, Bhadravati and Hassan, 50 each for Ramanagaram and Davangere, 65 for Shivamogga, 25 each for Kolar and Kolar Gold Fields, 45 additional buses for Tumakuru, and 125 additional buses for Mysuru.
To another question, he said Rs. 6 crore had been sanctioned for the construction of JNNURM Bus Depot here. The work was expected to be completed by March 2015. Once the depot was ready, city buses under JNNURM would be started here.
Already 40 cents of land belonging to the Department of Public Instruction had been identified for a bus-stand for the JNURUM city buses near the City Bus-stand. Though the department had released Rs. 1.45 crore for the construction of a building on this land, it would be shifted to the Board High School here to make way for the JNNURM Bus-stand.
The KSRTC Bus-stand for Udupi would be constructed on 2 acres and 94 cents of land at Bannanje here. This land belonged to the Public Works Department. Talks were on with the Public Works Department to get the land transferred to the Transport Department. New KSRTC bus-stands would be constructed in all those towns which did not have them in the next two years. The aim was to provide better facilities for passengers.
On two private buses catching fire in the last two days, he said the Transport Department had issued 12 guidelines for the safety of all buses. But in these two cases, the reason for the fire was accident, Mr. Reddy said.
Pramod Madhwaraj, MLA, and P. Yuvaraj, president of the Udupi City Municipal Council, were present.
