1,500 buses to hit TN roads by May

As many as 1,500 new buses are expected to hit the roads of Tamil Nadu by May, thanks to funding from the Centre. Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) will get 750 to 850 vehicles with the central government on Friday, clearing the allotment of funds to the Tamil Nadu transport department under the Jawarharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), a centrally funded scheme aimed at improving urban infrastructure. Sources in the Union urban development ministry said the state transport department had sought funds to procure 4,500 new buses including 2,400 buses for MTC. The Union ministry allotted its share of funds to procure 1,500 buses in the first phase. “It is a Rs 4,000-crore government package for procuring 10,000 to 15,000 new buses for a total of 63 cities across the country. While the central government will provide 50% of the funds, the rest will be shared by the state governments and the transport corporations concerned. Cities like Bangalore and Mumbai were sanctioned funds to procure 700 buses each. The new buses will hit the roads by June provided the concerned transport corporations take speedy steps to call for tenders and other processes,’’ sources said. While economists see the government’s move as part of the stimulus package that would help to give a legup to commercial vehicle manufacturers which have been affected by the slowdown, public transport corporations are jubilant as they can partly replace their old and worn-down buses. The corporations also expect the new buses to lead to an increase in their revenue by providing comfortable travel to commuters. On its part, the Tamil Nadu government has already sanctioned Rs 250 crore in the 2009-10 budget towards its share under the JNNURM last week and has also announced that it will procure 3,500 new buses under the scheme.