2 years on, city lacks infra needed to run promised e-buses
Nidhi.Bhardwaj@timesofindia.com
Ludhiana: Almost two years have passed since the Centre announced Ludhiana as one of the recipients of 100 e-buses for the industrial city but the infrastructure required to make the buses operational is missing.
Civic officials have not finalised the firm to handle construction and renovation of two bus depots, where infrastructure will be maintained for the bus service. The previous tenders did not mature and now, there are chances of them being floated again. The buses are to be provided under PM E Bus Sewa by the central government.
The civic body floated tenders for construction and renovation of the bus depots at Hambran Road and Ghora Colony in April.
Three firms participated in the process. However, officials said that since they did not fulfil technical conditions, they would have to follow the process again, and fresh tenders would be called.
In the absence of the bus depots, the civic body is unable to receive 100 electric buses from the Centre under PM E Bus Sewa. Civic officials have been planning renovation of the bus depots for more than one year but changes in the estimates delayed the tendering process.
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Estimates worth Rs 12.33 crore were prepared for Ghora Colony and Rs 5.86 crore for Hambran Road. The initial cost was estimated at Rs 14.71 crore and Rs 7.04 crore respectively but changes were made after senior officials objected to the high cost. The bus depots are being prepared to provide space to park electric buses when they are not running on the roads or when they are charging.
MC commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal confirmed that tenders will be floated again due to technical reasons.
As for the buses, he said that the Centre had to provide them.
In 2023, the city was selected under PM E Bus Sewa Yojana. Since then, civic officials have been preparing estimates. Besides Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, and Patiala were also selected under this scheme in Punjab. Earlier, the MC had demanded only mini-buses but now some big buses will also be given. The process was delayed due to Parliamentary elections in 2024 and certain objections were raised on the estimates.
E-Bus Project Delays in Ludhiana
Infrastructure Bottleneck:
--The city lacks operational bus depots, which are essential for parking and charging the e-buses.
--Two depots planned: Hambran Road and Ghora Colony.
Tendering Issues:
--Tenders floated in April failed due to technical disqualifications of participating firms.
--Fresh tenders will be floated again.
Cause, impact of delays
--Estimate changes, technical issues, and 2024 Parliamentary elections contributed to the delay.
--Electric buses are a cleaner alternative to diesel vehicles. Without them, Ludhiana continues to rely on polluting and aging fleets, worsening air quality and noise pollution.
--Commuters are missing out on modern, efficient, and comfortable transport options.
--The delay means no improvement in frequency, reliability, or coverage of public transport.
--Without new buses, existing routes and vehicles remain overcrowded and poorly maintained
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