Roadways starts probe into purchase of 39 CNG buses

Parvesh Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 5

The Haryana Roadways has initiated an inquiry into the purchase of 39 CNG buses without any prior arrangement for fuel.

Transport Minister Krishan Lal Panwar has formed a committee and sought a detailed report in the case.

Sources in the department said seven years ago, when the Congress was in power in the state, the Haryana Roadways authorities prepared a proposal to purchase 39 CNG buses to reduce air pollution in the state. Though the exact amount spent on the purchase of buses in not confirmed, some senior officers said the department had spent crores. Since no arrangements were made before the purchase, the buses remained stationed in Rohtak.

“When the state did not have CNG pumps, why did it spend such a great amount on these buses? There was no planning and transparency in the purchase of the buses. I have deputed senior officers of the department to conduct a thorough probe,” said Panwar.

Initially, the authorities tried to arrange CNG from Gurugram, but when other districts failed to do so, they started handing over these buses to the Rohtak authorities. “At present, only two-three buses are running near Rohtak. The senior authorities of the department have started investigations,” said a department official. Apart from facing shortage of CNG, lack of trained mechanics and non-availability of required spare parts were the major problems the authorities faced in running these buses. Some officers said even for minor faults, buses were off road to arrange the required faulty parts.