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Time of India
02-08-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Curchorem to get modern Rs 40cr KTC bus stand: Godinho
Porvorim: Govt has accorded administrative approval for the construction of a modern Kadamba Transport Corporation (KTC) bus stand at Curchorem, estimated to cost over Rs 40 crore, transport minister Mauvin Godinho said. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In his reply to an unstarred question by Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral, Godinho said the proposal will be placed before the expenditure finance committee (EFC) for final approval. The project has already secured necessary statutory clearances, with govt paying an infrastructure tax of Rs 38 lakh to the town and country planning department. However, the exact timeline for the project remains uncertain. 'Since the project is not yet tendered, the date of commencement and completion of construction is not finalised,' he said in the written reply. In response to concerns about fewer KTC buses between Curchorem and Margao, the minister said that no inconvenience has been reported from commuters over the issue. He said that KTC currently operates three direct shuttle buses on that route, making around 34 trips daily. Godinho said that more services will be introduced once electric buses arrive. KTCL floated an e-tender in April 2025 for 50 AC electric buses, with technical evaluation of bidders under way. The selected bidder will build charging infrastructure for these new buses near the KTCL depot in Porvorim. KTCL will not incur any capital expenditure for charging infrastructure and maintenance depot. While a smart ticketing system is already operational, a dedicated mobile app for KTCL services is under development, Godinho added. He further said that govt's Mhaji Bus Yojana is currently processing applications from private operators interested in serving routes through Curchorem and other areas.
Time of India
28-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
CM mulls 50% fare concession for women in private sector
Goa CM Pramod Sawant Bicholim: Chief minister Pramod Sawant on Saturday said that state govt is considering a 50% bus fare concession to women employed in the private sector in Goa. He said that the move is meant to cut down the expenditure on travel made by women, to encourage them to take up jobs in the private sector. Sawant relaunched the Mhaji Bus Scheme and fuel and insurance subsidy drive in Bicholim and Sattari talukas, a Rs 3/km operational subsidy, and a Rs 10 lakh one-time grant to private bus owners to replace old buses. Sawant said that with this aid of Rs 3/km, if a bus runs up to 200km per day under the scheme, the bus owner would be able to earn an average income of Rs 2.20 lakh per month. The CM said that bus operators would also get 50% of their insurance premium reimbursed, free ticketing machines, and KTCL smart card support. Some swipe machines were handed over to bus owners on Saturday. Sawant said that the card provided by KTC authorities can be also used in buses running under scheme, which will help bus owners earn more profit. Besides this, a real-time bus tracking app, 'Bus On The Go', will be introduced, he said. 'Goa will be the first state in the nation to digitalise bus services with the help of a novel technology under the scheme,' said Sawant. He also said that private buses would also be extended govt ad revenue and branding support. 'This is a big step towards modern, inclusive, and self-reliant public transport in Goa,' said Sawant. At the programme at Sanquelim, Sawant distributed approval letters of 50% of the pending arrears for diesel to bus owners, and promised to release the balance 50% payment in two months. Sawant also asked bus operators not to overtake other buses in a bid to get the more passengers in. He said that if a bus operator is seen regularly running on a route, govt may even take a KTC bus off the route. The CM said that the idea behind improving public transport is to reduce the movement of private vehicles, which will ultimately help reduce accidents.
Time of India
19-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
‘Mhaji Bus scheme to ease rivalry between pvt & KTC buses'
Panaji: The state-wide roll out of the Mhaji Bus scheme has the potential to reduce the competition between private bus operators and Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited (KTCL) buses, said KTCL managing director Rohan Kaskar. With just over 800 private buses operating on intra-state routes in Goa, Kaskar said that govt hopes to bring most of these buses under the scheme. 'Currently, the routes overlap, and there is competition and a distinction between private and KTC buses. Commuters with a monthly pass can board any bus. In this way, when there is a clash between private buses and KTCL buses , we can reschedule the timings and deploy a bus on a different route or at a different time when a bus is not available,' said Kaskar. He said that fear among the private bus operators was unfounded, as the incentives offered to them are attractive. KTCL is offering a revenue of Rs 3 per km to private bus operators, along with subsidies on comprehensive insurance and scrapping of the vehicle after 15 years of operations. KTCL is also offering 50% of the advertising revenue earned from each private bus to be shared with the respective bus owner. 'The earlier scheme was a pilot scheme available only for three routes. We operated 57 buses under the pilot scheme. It was introduced to understand the scheme before it was rolled out more extensively. We learned from the pilot scheme and developed the new scheme. The new scheme is for all of Goa,' said Kaskar.
Time of India
10-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Goa steps up dengue, malaria prevention ahead of monsoon
Panaji: With unseasonal showers expected ahead of the monsoon, the directorate of health services has sent out detailed advisories to all departments to prevent mosquito breeding. They have been instructed to report any fever or suspected dengue cases to the nearest health centre. Last year, dengue claimed three lives, including two minors. A detailed SOP has been sent to Kadamba Transport Corporation (KTCL), which reported dengue cases at its Porvorim depot last year, and to the registrar of cooperative societies to circulate to all housing societies. The advisory to the Goa Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) has instructed the area/field manager of each IDC to inform each unit owner about preventive measures and appoint a nodal officer for weekly surveillance. Operation Sindoor 'Common sense prevailed': Trump on India-Pak ceasefire on Truth Social 'Pakistan initiated call; both nations agreed to stop military action after direct talks', says India Ceasefire took effect at 5pm; top India, Pak military officials to talk again on May 12 A detailed advisory has been issued to the Captain of Ports and the directorate of fisheries to screen fishermen and migrant workers for malaria. Local bodies have also been asked to cooperate with the health department by providing garbage trucks and labour during source reduction drives to ensure immediate disposal of waste that could become potential mosquito breeding sites. The health department has asked each department to appoint a nodal officer to check compliance. 'We don't want a repeat of last year,' said the deputy director and chief medical officer in charge of the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme at DHS, Kalpana Mahatme. 'We are arranging workshops for all nodal officers so they understand their role in preventing the spread of dengue and malaria within their jurisdiction,' she said. Goa reported 29 dengue cases from Jan to April this year, compared to 95 cases last year. All six cases in April were from North Goa— two in Mapusa and one each in Pernem, Candolim, Aldona, and Siolim. 'We are concentrating on areas of dengue cases last year. We have mapped them and are carrying out source reduction drives, preventing potential mosquito breeding sites,' she said, adding that health centres have been instructed to educate people about the warning signs of dengue and malaria to ensure timely reporting and treatment of fever cases.
