Maharashtra Workers’ Union Claims Financial Losses in MSRTC Electric Bus Project
The workers’ union in Maharashtra seeks government intervention over financial losses in the MSRTC electric bus initiative
Maharashtra, MSRTC, Electric Buses, Financial Losses, Government Intervention
Maharashtra: So, there’s this big issue with the electric bus project in Maharashtra. The workers’ union is saying it’s losing a ton of money. They want the government to step in and check things out.
The union’s General Secretary, Srirang Barge, mentioned that each bus is losing about Rs 20 for every kilometer it runs. Right now, there are 168 electric buses, but they plan to have over 5,000. That’s a lot of potential losses!
Each bus is supposed to run 325 kilometers a day. But even if they don’t hit that target, MSRTC still has to pay a set amount. This means they could be spending around Rs 3.25 crore daily, leading to monthly losses that could top Rs 100 crore. Yikes!
Barge also pointed out that the rental rates for these buses in Maharashtra are way higher than in other states. They’re paying Rs 58 for 9-meter buses and Rs 68 for 12-meter ones. He thinks there might be something fishy going on with those prices.
On top of that, the union raised concerns about a recent tender for 1,310 rental buses. They believe some last-minute changes favored certain contractors, which could make the financial situation even worse.
Barge is calling on Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to look into this and start a thorough investigation. He stressed that it’s crucial to tackle these losses and keep the tendering process transparent to protect MSRTC’s finances.
He said, “These projected losses are really worrying. We need a detailed review of the rental rates and the tendering process to make sure the corporation can survive in the long run.”