Maharashtra gets first electric bus Shivaee for intercity services

Foundation stone laid for MSRTC’s ambitious redevelopment plan for Mumbai Central depot

Shivaee enters Mumbai Central depot after being inaugurated by Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday.

The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) inducted its first electric bus on Thursday called Shivaee. Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, who inaugurated the bus, said it was a matter of pride that Maharashtra was the first State to have an electric bus on intercity routes.

The bus can run for 300 km on one charge and takes between one and five hours for a full charge. The fare will be between that charged for the Shivshahi service and the premium Shivneri.

MSRTC vice chairman and managing director Ranjeet Singh Deol said they haven’t finalised the routes. “Fifty buses will come soon. All will be procured on wet lease. We will discuss with the operator on the routes they can ply,” he said.

Mr. Thackeray also laid the foundation stone for the ambitious redevelopment of the Mumbai Central depot and MSRTC’s head offices. MSRTC plans to build a 49-storey building and redesign the depot. The first eight floors will be used for parking, while administrative offices will be housed between floors nine and 14. The rest will be rented to other government departments.

Mr. Deol said the design is as per the FSI they have. “We will not lease the extra space to private entities. We will give it only to government departments and agencies,” he said.

The project will be built by the MSRTC and the transport department and will not involve any private players. The estimated cost of the building will be around ₹468.12 crore and the corporation expects around ₹16.17 crore as rent from the 35 floors. “We are working on the tender specifications. The tenders will soon be floated,” he said.

MSRTC also unveiled a plan to redevelop a 10-acre plot in Kurla, which houses some administrative offices and a workshop.

The redevelopment is being done through a public-private partnership with Eduspark International Private Limited. The latter will redevelop the offices and workshop, and build two 12-storey buildings for staff quarters. The remaining land will be used for a school, where 50 seats will be reserved for children of MSRTC employees.