Govt releases Rs. 327 crore to purchase electric buses
Punjab Newsline, Shimla, August 6-
CM Sukhvinder Sukhu, while presiding over a meeting of HRTC here today, said that the State Govt would provide all possible assistance to the Corporation to revive it from the financial loss and make it a profitable organization.
The HRTC which is a lifeline of hill transport system plays a very pivotal role in providing reliable services to the people with more than 12,000 employees, whom the Chief Minister termed as the backbone of the corporation.
The CM said that the HRTC would be transformed into a 'Green Transportation System' as more electric buses were being introduced in the already existing fleet of 110 e-buses and 50 e-taxis. He said that Rs. 327 crore had been provided to purchase electric buses and the process was underway to procure 2,000 additional type-II e-buses. The entire fleet of diesel buses will be replaced by e-buses in a phased manner, said he.
At present in the first phase HRTC is plying six buses to Ayodhya to facilitate the devotees with plans to add more if necessary. Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri said that the HRTC was providing reliable transport services in the challenging terrains of Himachal.