The Business Line 11.11.2009
States place orders for 11,185 buses under urban mission
Our Bureau
New Delhi, Nov. 10 Orders for purchase of 11,185 buses have been placed by various States under the one-time scheme by the Urban Development Ministry to boost urban transport under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
Overall, the Government has sanctioned purchase of 15,260 buses for the various mission cities under JNNURM.
The break-up
According to an official statement, Maharashtra has placed purchase orders for 2,230 buses, the highest number among the States, followed by Delhi and Tamil Nadu with orders for purchase of 1,600 buses each.
“The lot would consist of AC low-floor, non-AC low-floor, semi low-floor buses and mini buses,” it said.
Andhra Pradesh has placed order for 1,540 buses for Hyderabad, Tirupati, Vijayawada and Vishakhapatnam. Bulk of these orders (1,000 buses) is meant for Hyderabad.
Uttar Pradesh has ordered for 1,350 buses and Uttarakhand for 145 buses. West Bengal has finalised purchase orders for 1,300 buses and Kerala for 320 buses under the scheme.
Other States that have so far placed orders are Madhya Pradesh (175 buses), Chhattisgarh (100), Jharkhand (240), Rajasthan (400) and Manipur (25).
Under the second stimulus package announced by the Government in January, it was decided that States would be provided assistance in the form of grant under the JNNURM for the purchase of buses. The financing is meant exclusively for city bus service and Bus Rapid Transit System for all mission cities.
The scheme is expected to give a boost to the automobile industry. The funding is shared by the Centre, States and the Municipal Bodies. The size of the Central allocation depends on the population density of the recipient mission cities.
