The Pioneer 18.12.2013
Chandigarh to get 400 more buses
The Union Ministry of Urban Development has sanctioned 400 buses for the Union Territory of Chandigarh under JNNURM. The approval was given at a meeting of the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee on bus funding and ancillary infrastructure projects under JNNURM in New Delhi.A total of 400 buses have been approved for the Tricity—Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula. A senior official of the UT Administration said that to facilitate the commuters across the region, a total of 400 buses would ply in the Tricity.
An official said that a plan to start bus service on the proposed metro route (under tricity metro project) has been drawn considering the future needs for intercity bus services and increasing number of commuters’. The bus service on two proposed metro routes has already been planned to ensure well bus connectivity with proposed metro stations in the tricity.
“Also, the UT Administration would focus to connect the far-flung areas in the neighboring States by bus service to the proposed metro stations within the city and in the suburbs and also to ensure well bus connectivity in the tricity. Once the bus service starts, we have also planned to check the occupancy rate in the buses on new routes and would accordingly plan for the future needs of the commuters,” added the official.
The approval was also given for installation of ITS (Intelligent Transport System) and a depot in the city. The in-principle approval has been given subject to fulfilling of certain conditions like the formation of a SPV (special purpose vehicle) as insisted upon in case of all other similar approvals, a written undertaking by the UT Administration that it will bear the operational losses if any and revision of fares which was last carried out in the year 2010.
During the meeting, Dr Sudhir Krishna, Secretary, Union Ministry of Urban Development also assured that the Ministry will finance the scheme of public biking which Chandigarh plans to implement, to promote clean transport in the country.
Dr Sudhir Krishna also advised the Administration to adhere to the new norms laid down for funding of buses in the current year like formation of SPV, installation of ITS, constructing depots, underwriting losses by State Government among others. This, he added will help the city to build a sustainable and efficient transport system which will bring maximum benefit to the people.
