At a meeting last evening to discuss ways and means of making the transport system better and safe in the state, especially in hilly areas, state Finance Minister Indira Hridayesh asked transport officials to also incorporate suggestions for purchase of new buses for Uttarakhand Transport Corporation, an official release said.
Hridayesh stressed the need for immediate removal of old and run-down buses from the fleet and their replacement with new buses to check road accidents caused due to technical and mechanical faults of vehicles.
Referring to his recent visit to Australia, Transport Minister Surendra Rakesh suggested that like in that country Uttarakhand must provide transport in hilly areas as essential service for the people irrespective of whether it is running in loss or profit.
He said 600 buses are required to provide smooth transport service in hill areas. Currently, the corporation has a fleet of 1,127 buses out of which 473 are being run in hills and 654 buses are plying in the plains.
Rakesh said the Corporation earned Rs 264.74 crore, while the expenditure was Rs 289.94 crore in the year 2011-12 and said that the loss of Rs 25 crore incurred to run the buses in the hilly region should be borne by the state government.
