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Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Sarnaik Changes previous Stand for demanding cancellation of E-Bus Contract; Says Buses Needed in 'Larger Public Interest'
Mumbai: Less than a week after strongly criticising the company for delaying the supply of 5,150 electric buses on lease to MSRTC and demanding the cancellation of the contract, transport minister Pratap Sarnaik made a sudden volte-face on Friday. He informed the media that "the corporation must receive the supply of e-buses as per the revised schedule. " This decision came after a meeting with the wet lease company representatives, additional chief secretary (transport) Sanjay Sethi, and other senior officials on Friday. Sarnaik clarified that he was part of the govt, which continuously strives to provide facilities to passengers. His decision to now direct MSRTC to receive the supply of e-buses as per the revised schedule comes in "the larger interest of passengers who will benefit from these 5,000 plus buses in the long run. " It is learnt that the MSRTC signed a contract with the company to supply 5,150 electric buses on lease, of which 220 were delivered to date. These include both 12-metre and 9-metre long buses. The corporation created a department-wise account system to pay the company from the revenue generated by the electric buses. So far, Rs 60 crore was paid to the company, and the remaining Rs 40 crore is planned to be paid soon, sources said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trending in in 2025: Local network access control [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo Sarnaik told the media that considering the operational losses incurred with the supplied buses, a proposal for Viability Gap Funding (VGF) should be sent to the state govt to secure financial support. "While operating the buses, the corporation is incurring a loss of Rs 12 per kilometre for 12-metre buses and Rs 16 per kilometre for 9-metre buses. As a result, the corporation is expected to bear a loss of Rs 3,191 crore over the next few years," he said, adding that the govt should bear the losses through VGF. A meeting will be held in this connection (regarding losses and VGF) with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. Meanwhile, the existing Shivshahi buses operated by the ST Corporation should be gradually reconstructed and converted into Hirkani (semi-luxury) buses, the minister said. "These buses should be painted in the traditional green and white colours, as they were previously," he added.
Hindustan Times
27-05-2025
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
Revoke 5,510 e-buses contract: Min
MUMBAI: State transport minister Pratap Sarnaik directed officials of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) to cancel the contract for procuring 5510 electric vehicles (EV) on lease from Evey Trans Pvt Ltd, a sister company of Olectra Geentech Ltd, if the company fails to deliver around 1000 EV buses by mid-July, as promised earlier. Sarnaik said this on Monday in a meeting with MSRTC officials while reviewing the progress of procuring EVs on lease. The minister was irked by the company shifting the deadline for the delivery repeatedly in the past. The company first reneged on its promise to deliver 1000 buses by December 2024, requesting an extension till May 2025 which was further pushed to July 2025. It was also discussed in the meeting that till date MSRTC had received only 240 buses from the company of the 5510 buses. 'Not a single unit of the around 1000 buses have been supplied yet. If they fail in their promise again, cancel the contract for all 5150 buses with the company,' Sarnaik said in the meeting. Sarnaik also asked MSRTC to convert the existing Shivshahi buses gradually into Hirkani buses – the latter falls in the semi-luxury segment. He said that these buses should be painted in green and white colours, so that passengers can easily identify them.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Maha minister instructs cancellation of electric bus contract due to supplier inactivity
Mumbai: The company responsible for supplying 5,150 electric buses on a lease basis has proven to be inactive, and action should be taken to cancel the tender contract made by the ST Corporation with this company, instructed transport minister and MSRTC chairman Pratap Sarnaik. He was speaking at a review meeting held at the corporation headquarters on Monday. Sarnaik said that the supplier was given a revised schedule to deliver 1,000 buses by May 22. However, the company failed to supply even a single bus within this timeframe. "This raises doubts about the company's ability to supply buses in the future. At a time when the corporation urgently needs buses, if the supplier cannot deliver on time, the tender contract with this company should be cancelled," he said. The existing Shivshahi buses operated by the ST Corporation should be gradually reconstructed and converted into Hirkani (semi-luxury) buses, the minister suggested at the meeting. "These buses should be painted in the traditional green and white colours, as they were previously," he said. He further said that during visits to various bus stations across the state, he observed severe negligence regarding cleanliness. There have been frequent complaints from passengers, especially female passengers, in this regard. "Once flaws are pointed out, action must be taken by holding the responsible officials accountable. If such negligent officials are being shielded, it will not be tolerated under any circumstances," he added.
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Focus on safety of women, kids during Kumbh Mela: Gorhe
Nashik: State legislative council deputy chairperson Neelam Gorhe on Friday urged govt to plan for the safety of women, children and senior citizens during the upcoming Simhastha Kumbh Mela in Nashik, aiming to set an exemplary model. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Gorhe chaired a meeting at the Nashik divisional commissionerate to discuss safety, cleanliness and issues concerning women and children during the Simhastha Kumbh Mela, with officials including divisional commissioner Praveen Gedam, collector Jalaj Sharma and police and municipal authorities in attendance. "Factors such as better communication and accommodation, separate and safe toilets, changing rooms, Hirkani rooms (to assist lactating mothers in feeding their children) and safety measures for women, children, the physically challenged (divyang) and senior citizens should be included in the Kumbh Mela plan," Gorhe said. She also highlighted the need for a robust system to ensure that children, women and senior citizens do not get lost during the Kumbh Mela. She stressed on the importance of having ample helplines, help desks, kiosks and rooms available for the pilgrims. Gorhe said cleanliness should be given top priority during the event. "The cleanliness of streets, surroundings and toilet blocks, along with ensuring clean water in the Godavari river, should be planned and executed by the authorities concerned," she said. The state legislative council deputy chairperson also called upon the municipal corporation, zilla parishad health departments and state health officials to collaborate with the local doctors' association, as well as private and charitable hospitals, to provide health-related services, focusing on children, women and senior citizens during the Kumbh Mela. Officers from various govt agencies provided information about their planning and the actions to be taken by different govt agencies in connection with the Kumbh Mela.
Time of India
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
MSRTC to convert 7 Shivshahi buses into regular non-AC vehicles
1 2 Pune: The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) will convert seven Shivshahi buses into non-air-conditioned semi-luxury vehicles, signalling the start of discontinuing the previously prestigious Shivshahi service. "The decision in this regard was taken in the board meeting on Monday. Accordingly, the seven Shivshahi buses will be converted into non-AC semi-luxury vehicles on an experimental basis. The buses will be redesigned to resemble MSRTC's Hirkani semi-luxury vehicles," a senior MSRTC official said. Abhijit Bhosle, the public relations officer of MSRTC, confirmed the development in its report last month, had reported that MSRTC was looking to stop Shivshahi operations and convert them into non-AC buses. The first batch of Shivshahi buses rolled out in 2017 to provide a comfortable AC ride to passengers at less fare as compared to Shivneri buses operating between Pune and Mumbai. At present, there are 790 Shivshahi buses in MSRTC fleet."The Shivshahi buses are in poor condition with non-functional ACs, dirty interiors and frequent breakdowns. MSRTC didn't take any steps to revive them. I travelled in these buses before the Covid-19 pandemic and recently, and there has been a strak decline," Satej Dore, a frequent commuter and a bank employee, told Palke, another frequent commuter, disagreed and said: "Instead of buying new buses, MSRTC should have revamped the existing Shivshahi buses with a fresh look and proper maintenance. If they can't take care of their current fleet, there's no guarantee they'll do better with the new ones."Sources in MSRTC said by year-end, they would be able to take a call on stopping Shivshahi buses. "There have been several complaints about the buses. If the experiment doesn't work, we will think about other options, which can include the revival of these buses," another official said.
