Shimla, Sep 25 Himachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri on Friday discussed several issues with officials, including HRTC modernisation, procurement of new buses, expansion of electric bus services, bus routes, and development of new bus stands.
While chairing the 164th meeting of the Board of Directors of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) and the 73rd meeting of the Himachal Pradesh Urban Transport and Bus Stand Management and Development Authority (HPUTBSMDA), he said no HRTC bus route would be discontinued without the Managing Director’s approval. Regional Managers would not have the authority to close any route independently.
He directed officials to expedite the procurement of 250 new diesel buses for HRTC and called for a Vehicle Purchase Committee meeting within 15 days to move the procurement process forward.
The Board also decided to take 366 HRTC buses off the road, including 12-metre buses operating under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
Agnihotri said the corporation would phase out old buses and replace them with new electric buses to strengthen and modernise its fleet.
He directed the technical committee to finalise the prototype for 1,000 new electric buses to be inducted into the HRTC fleet as soon as possible. He said the proposed buses should have a battery range of more than 350 kilometres, enabling them to operate efficiently on longer routes across the state.
The meeting approved establishing a new electric bus depot in Kangra. E-depots have already been approved at Nadaun, Haroli, Theog and Nahan, while the Haroli e-depot has already commenced operations. The new e-depots will help expand electric bus operations and strengthen charging infrastructure across the state.
The Deputy CM said buses currently operating under the JNNURM would be brought under HRTC, enabling the corporation to operate these buses on routes outside Himachal Pradesh as well.
It was also decided to develop a City Centre at the site of the old bus stand in Una.
Agnihotri said the new bus stand under construction at Mandi Bharari in Bilaspur district is expected to be completed by February 15.
(PTI News)
