Having failed to rope in private parties to operate its luxury bus service to Konkan from Mumbai and Pune, the Maharashtra government is toying with the idea of handing over the job to Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC).
The private tour operators have not shown interest in the project citing lack of infrastructure facilities in Konkan region, tourism department officials said. The feedback from the dry run of the bus from Mumbai to Konkan in December last year was not good. "Due to narrow roads, it was difficult to drive the Volvo buses," an official said.
"State Tourism Minister Chhagan Bhujbal is of the view that the bus service be operated by MSRTC on routes decided by the MTDC. The proposal is under consideration of the tourism department," he said. With an aim to attract foreign tourists, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) had decided to start a luxury bus service to Konkan from Mumbai and Pune. MTDC had purchased five such Volvo buses, which have facilities like chemical toilets, fridge, oven, Wi-Fi, at a cost of Rs 5.48 crore.
