Electric Buses Chhattisgarh : On the initiative of Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai, the Government of India has approved 240 e-buses for public transport in Chhattisgarh under the PM e-Bus Service Scheme. These buses will be operated in the capital Raipur as well as Bilaspur, Korba and Durg-Bhilai.
PM e-bus service scheme has been started by the central government to improve the public transport infrastructure in urban areas. On the proposal sent by the Urban Administration and Development Department of the state government, the Government of India has approved 100 e-buses for Raipur, 50 each for Bilaspur, Korba and Durg-Bhilai and 40 for Korba.
Deputy Chief Minister and Urban Administration and Development Minister Arun Saw said that in this innovative scheme of public transport service, the central government will provide financial assistance to the cities for the purchase and operation of buses. A large part of it will also be spent for the development of infrastructure like bus depots in cities.
Under the scheme, three types of buses will be operated, standard, medium and mini. The number of buses has been determined on the basis of population of cities in different states. He said that with the start of e-bus service, air quality will improve and environment will be protected by reducing carbon emissions in the cities of Chhattisgarh. With less energy consumption and better fuel efficiency, citizens will get comfortable transportation facility.
Deputy Chief Minister Shri Sao told that the PM e-bus service scheme of the Government of India is a part of the effort to link the central assistance received by the states with transparency and their performance. It will be developed as an alternative or supporting means of metro in cities, so that people get the facility of affordable, reliable and smooth transportation.
Under the scheme, cities have been divided into four categories on the basis of population. Cities with a population of 20 lakh to 40 lakh are eligible for 150 e-buses, cities with a population of 10 to 20 lakh and 5 to 10 lakh are eligible for 100 e-buses each and cities with a population of less than 5 lakh are eligible for 50 e-buses.
On this basis, Raipur has received approval for 100 medium e-buses, Durg-Bhilai for 50 medium e-buses, Bilaspur for 35 medium and 15 mini e-buses and Korba for 20 medium and 20 mini e-buses.
As per the guidelines of PM E-Bus Seva Yojana, the purchase of buses and selection of operating agency will be done by the Government of India. Central assistance will be given to the agency on the basis of assured kilometer operation. If the buses run less kilometers than this, then the central assistance will be reduced in the same proportion.
The central government will provide funds based on the performance of the cities. Under the PM e-Bus Seva Yojana, the operation of the buses will have to be accounted for every three months. The general conditions of the scheme also include that a third party audit of the money given under the project will be mandatory, so that there is complete transparency.
