Punjab Budget: Govt to launch fresh fleet of e-buses in Amritsar soon
Charanjit Singh Teja
Amritsar, March 5
Though the Punjab government announced that it would introduce a fresh fleet of e-buses while implementing e-Bus Sewa Scheme in Budget session, the city dwellers are concerned about the failure of two such projects of approximately Rs 750 crore previously, including the much hyped Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) project last year. More than 90 Metro buses used to run under the BRTS project and 60 vehicles of the City Bus Service are gathering dust at the Vallah bus terminal and Mall Mandi, respectively. The windowpanes and tyres of Metro buses have been damaged as the buses have remained parked there since July 4. The government failed to hire drivers to operate buses after the company hired for outsourcing drivers left the contract mid-way following financial issues. During the last 10 years, two major projects have failed.
In January 2014, the state government had launched the City Bus Service funded under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). As many as 60 buses were introduced in its first phase. After two years, all the buses went off road and have suffered damage at the Mall Mandi bus stand.
Then in December 2016, the government launched the BRTS by spending Rs 550 crore. Then Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal was in a hurry to launch the project to reap its advantages in the 2017 Assembly elections. Instead of making suitable financial arrangements for operating the bus service, the government made makeshift arrangements. The fleet of 92 buses plying on the 35-kilometre track from 6 am to 10 pm cost Rs 4 crore monthly. The fund-strapped government was unable to take enormous financial liabilities. Now, the bus is off road for eight months.
Now, the Central Government has launched the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme and the state government is going to introduce electric buses in Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Patiala.
Pawan Sharma, a local activist, said, “Before spending funds on e-buses, the government should conduct a study on the failure of previous transport projects. The e-buses also need to recover the operational cost. Without reviewing the failure of previous projects, it would be another blunder to launch e-buses in the city.”
