By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 5 Feb: Uttarakhand Transport Corporation (UTC) has been granted government approval to purchase 100 new buses. Sources added that preparations for issuing tenders are underway. Currently, the UTC operates a fleet of approximately 1,400 buses, of which 900 are owned by the Corporation itself, while the rest have been hired on a contractual basis.
It may be recalled that among the 900 owned buses, nearly 400 have surpassed their operational lifespan and should have been decommissioned. However, due to a shortage of buses, UTC continues running them. To phase out these aging buses, the department has now initiated the process of acquiring new ones.
Six months ago, the government sanctioned a Rs 40 crores loan for the purchase of new buses. Following this, the roadways department sought approval to tender for the new buses, which has now been granted. Finance Controller Anand Singh confirmed that preparations for the tender process are in progress.
However, the move to issue a fresh tender has met with resistance. Dinesh Pant, State General Secretary of the Roadways Employees Joint Council, has opposed the decision, citing financial concerns. He pointed out that, a year ago, 130 buses had been purchased from a company under an agreement that ensured the next 100 buses would be supplied at the same rate. However, with the current price of buses increasing by nearly 10 percent, issuing a new tender could result in an estimated loss of Rs 6 crores for the department. It remains a mystery, if the UTC had attempted to procure the proposed hundred buses at the same rate as the contractual conditions permitted or not. With the tendering process now in motion, all eyes are on the final decision regarding procurement and its financial implications for Uttarakhand Roadways.
