PANJIM: Even as the government had declared that electric buses would ply across various routes in Panjim by replacing private ones, there is no sign of the promised vehicles till date.
In December last year, the State government had issued a notification under which a fleet of 60 buses, including big, mini electric vehicles, mini diesel driven and micro medical buses and electrical buggies, owned by the KTCL were set to replace the 57-odd private ones plying in and around the capital city, under the Smart City Mission.
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As per the notification, the Smart buses introduced by KTCL on these routes will be colour coded as per the route.
The KTCL will offer services such as QR code ticket, public announcement system (PAS), line tracking of buses at home and bus stop to plan the personal schedule etc.
Standard fare rates of Rs 10 and Rs 20 will be charged to the passengers. The proposed service will be operating stage carriages by buses and mini buses. The stage carriages will comprise of luxury and semi-luxury stage carriages (electric vehicles), electric buggies in non-motorized roads with limited stops or direct from one stop to another.
The maximum number of vehicles which will ply at any one time under the scheme is 60 while the minimum number of vehicles which will operate at one time under the scheme is 44, the notification had said.
Stakeholders had been asked to submit their objections, if any, to the notification within a period of 30 days.
However, sources in the Transport Department said the bus service is less as the city roads are dug up at different places.
Moreover, the owners of the existing bus operators have opposed the government’s move to replace their buses without finding an alternative route.
”We had issued the notification. Suggestions and objections were received. Now it is up to the government whether it will hold a meeting with the bus operators or not. We received the objections and the same were submitted to the government. Now a decision is to be taken by the government whether the notification will be published in the official gazette or not. If the notification is published then the bus operators will have to be shifted to other routes. But the work under the Smart City mission is still underway. Bus shelters are yet not ready while many roads in the city are not complete. Now even the election code of conduct may come into force,” a Transport Department official said.
On November 14 last year, the KTCL had initiated operation of two 26-seater electric vehicles in the capital city under the Smart city project.
Recently, even the bus shelters also had come under criticism from within the State government itself.
Revenue Minister and Panjim MLA Atanasio ‘Babush; Monserrate had written a letter to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant claiming that the design of the bus shelters was faulty and there was a scam in it.
