Green services in focus in transport dept ₹517cr budget

Nagpur: In an all-important election year, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) transport department has not increased fare for Aapli buses in the ₹517.41 crore budget presented for 2024-25 and focused on introducing more air-conditioned electric buses.NMC is expected to spend ₹225 crore on operating the Aapli bus fleet and generate ₹105 crore revenue from sale of tickets, while the administration will have to allocate ₹120 crore as viability gap funding.

The department also presented the revised budget for the current financial year (2023-24) in which it expects revenue of ₹342.43 crore (including viability gap funding) against expenditure of around ₹342.12 crore. The department had presented a budget of ₹359 crore last year.There is increase in budget allocation for 2024-25 due to special grant of ₹137 crore from the state government and ₹72 crore from the 15th Finance Commission.NMC’s transport manager Ravindra Bhelave presented the budget to NMC administrator Abhijeet Chaudhari, who will include it in his NMC budget to be presented in a couple of days. Transport department’s administrative officer Ravindra Pagey, accounts officer Vinay Bhardwaj, labour officer Arun Piprude and mechanical engineer Yogesh Lunge among others were present.Bhelave said concessions given to specific category of passengers will continue.Maximum emphasis has been laid on environment-friendly transport as Aapli Bus service is set to receive 250 electric buses from state and 150 e-buses from central government in the coming year.In 2022, NMC had placed an order for 144 AC e-buses with PMI Electro Mobility Solutions Private Limited, a Haryana-based company. “The company has already delivered 57 buses and is set to complete delivery for remaining 87 buses by next month end,” said Bhelave.The transport manager added that a private firm has set up 239 bus shelters with modern facilities. “The department will generate ₹14,600 per bus shelter in the form of royalty,” said Bhelave. Process is under way to appoint new Integrated Bus Transport Management operator. For the financial year 2024-25, a provision of ₹42.63 crore has been made for construction of electric bus depot. The transport manager said that ₹1 crore has been allotted for bus stop panels.