The discontinuation of the Centre-sponsored Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) will not impact the expansion plans of the State's four-road transport corporations, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said here on Monday. He was referring to the Centre's stopping of the JNNURM from the new financial year 2015-16.
Mr. Reddy said there was no move to seek additional State funds for the RTCs's expansion plans to make up for the discontinued JNNURM.
Mr. Reddy told reporters here that the funds made available under the JNNURM had come in handy for the state government to add new buses and improve infrastructure in Bengaluru and Mysore. Funds provided in 2014-15 had helped to add new buses in other cities.
He also said the four Corporations had seen a sharp drop in their losses and would turn around in the next couple of years. Mr. Reddy said it would help the RTCs' expansion plans if the government agreed to their old demand for permanent waiver of the Motor Vehicle Tax. At present the State government had waived this tax for only the North Western RTC. He said the other three corporations - the BMTC, the NEKRTC and the KSRTC - together remitted motor taxes totalling around Rs. 350 crore. The state government should also release the subsidy amount due to them in lieu of the bus pass concessions.
