MSRTC to add 7K new buses to its fleet

MUMBAI: The state government has decided to go for a makeover of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) by adding 7,000 new buses to its fleet.

Chief minister Eknath Shinde has approved taking 5,000 electric buses on lease and buying 2,000 diesel buses in the annual general meeting of the stateowned undertaking on Friday.

It was also decided to convert 2,000 diesel buses into liquefied natural gas (LNG) buses in phases. Earlier, an approval was given for 2,000 e-buses, which has been increased to 5,150 buses, a release issued by the chief minister’s office (CMO) stated. Shinde also approved in-principle to take a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for procuring buses, including those to be taken on lease. All these electric buses will be air-conditioned. The officials were also directed to reduce the ticket prices on the existing fleet of air-conditioned buses, said an official.

The decision to buy 2,000 diesel buses was taken due to nonavailability of chassis for CNG buses and low number of CNG pumps.

MSRTC employees to go on strike from Dec 20

MSRTC employees, who went on a strike from October 2021 till April this year, have called for another indefinite strike next month.

Earlier, the employees had put forth 18 demands before calling off the strike, and the MSRTC had given an assurance that 16 would be met. With no concrete decision, the employees have called for a protest at Nagpur on December 20, a day after the beginning of the winter session of the assembly.

“For most of the demands that we put forth, responses have been that it will happen gradually. It has been over six months and it is high time to take concrete decisions on the same,” said Gopichand Padalkar, chairman, Seva Shakti Sangharsh State Transport Workers’ Union. The previous strike was called off after the Bombay high court directed the employees to resume their duties.

HT PHOTO Around 2,000 diesel buses to be converted into LNG.