The Hindu 30.06.2010
JNNURM buses to meet Tirupati's needs
Staff Reporter
| Services to connect university area and SVIMS-Ruia-SV Medical College circuit |
Exchanging views: Chinta Mohan, M.P., having a word with MCT Commissioner M. Janaki and RTC Regional Manager M.S. Prakasa Rao in Tirupati.
TIRUPATI: The ‘Metro Buses' sanctioned under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) have been asked to be run henceforth in the core areas of Tirupati, meeting the requirements of the city dwellers. Soon, they will not be diverted to nearby towns and villages as the APSRTC is said to be doing right now to fill its coffers.
The 50 buses sanctioned by the Centre were to meet the mass rapid transportation needs of the burgeoning temple city even up to the limits of ‘Greater Tirupati' in-the-making.
APSRTC has gone a step further to run the services to nearby towns like Puttur, Srikalahasti and Pakala, obviously with an eye on the satellite townships likely to develop en route.
Member of Parliament Chinta Mohan, who has been airing strong reservations over the plying of buses to areas ‘other than' they are meant for, decided to take a ride on a metro bus, accompanied by mediapersons, Municipal Corporation (MCT) and APSRTC officials.
After an hour-long tour of the city on Monday, he identified that additional services could be run within the existing city limits and suggested to the APSRTC Regional Manager M.S.Prakasa Rao to run them with halts at TTD building, MCT, MS Subbalakshmi Circle, Gandhi Circle, railway station, Krishnapuram Thana, NTR Circle, Balaji Colony, SPMVV, SVU, Mahati, SVIMS, Ruia, Alipiri, Kapila Theertham and Anna Rao Circle.
The RTC officials were directed to run a bus for every five minutes, by giving numbers to each of the services and mentioning the timings at the bus stops. MCT Commissioner M. Janaki was asked to ensure that bus bays and shelters were in place, besides arranging for road clearance to facilitate the huge chasses to manoeuvre turnings. However, the RTC authorities were apparently reluctant to accede to the demands without going into factors like return on investment and occupancy ratio.
The denizens can expect six city services ‘at the earliest', connecting university area and SVIMS-Ruia-SV Medical College circuit.
