Nagpur. The tenure of all the office bearers including the member councilors in the Municipal Corporation is also going to end on March 4. Efforts are also being made to finish the work according to its earlier responsibilities. Due to this, despite having only one day left, Transport Committee Chairman Bunty Kukde presented a budget of Rs 384.77 crore for your bus for the financial year 2022-23. On Thursday, the budget was handed over to the Standing Committee Chairman Prakash Bhoyar at the Municipal Headquarters. Committee members Rupa Rai, Nitin Sathavane, Sheshrao Gotmare, Transport Administrator Ravindra Bhelave, Mechanical Engineer Yogendra Lunge etc. were present. Transport committee chairman Kukde said that special emphasis is being laid on environment-friendly transport system in the city.
96.92 crores spent on electric buses
Kukde said that under the 15th Finance Commission, 51.68 crores for 2020-21, 25.84 crores for 2021-22, including a total fund of 77.52 crores, was approved. Apart from this, a fund of 27.40 crores was sanctioned for 2022-23, out of which out of the total 104.92 crores, a provision of 96.92 crores has been made for the purchase of electric buses, excluding the funds for the depot at Wathoda.
Proposal to buy 233 buses
According to the budget, out of 104.92 crore in the financial year 2022-23, a total of 233 MIDI buses have been proposed, in which in the first phase, 115 buses were to be purchased on waitlies in 2021-22 with a total fund of 77.52 crore. Similarly, procurement of 100 buses has been proposed in the second phase. He said that in the financial year 2022-23, 50 percent electric buses will start running on the roads in the service of the people through Aapli Bus. Along with this, a new depot will be set up on 10 acres of land in Wathoda.
145 crores demanded from MNP
It is noteworthy that even though the Transport Committee has presented a budget of Rs 384 crore, most of the amount has been sought from the Municipal Corporation for the expenditure. On the one hand, while the entire transport system is dependent on the funds received from the government for the buses, the necessary arrangements for operation are dependent on the funds received from the Municipal Corporation. 145 crore has been demanded from the Municipal Corporation for this financial year. Till now, a grant of 108 crores is being given by the Municipal Corporation every year, in which he informed about the need of 37 crores more.
Charging Station of Path Antyodaya E-Bus at Zero Mile
He said that as a main attraction, Path Antyodaya Electric Bus Charging Station will be prepared under the Environment Complementary Transport Undertaking on the reserved land of the depot near Zero Mile. The idea is to prepare it soon and launch it through online method in the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari.
Operation of 438 Buses
In the financial year 2022-23, a total of 262 buses running on diesel, CNG will be operated. Apart from this, 15 electric buses are going to be received by the smart city, 40 midi electric buses from the central government and 115 electric buses from the environment department of the state government. In the form of Tejaswini for women, a total of 438 buses including 6 electric buses will be operated in this financial year.