Bidar: The North East Karnataka Transport Corporation (NEKRTC) will hire 500 retired drivers on contract basis, Managing Director Shankar Patil said in Bidar on Thursday.

The corporation would also recruit 600 drivers and conductors in the next three months. These steps would help solve the staff shortage, he told presspersons.

"We had sought Rs. 100 crore from the State Government in this budget. But we got Rs. 50 crore. Of this, we intend to spend Rs. 30 crore on buying new buses and Rs. 20 crore for taking up civil works in bus stands and other facilities," he said.

The NEKRTC would buy 330 buses, including 20 sleeper buses and 10 Volvo buses. The corporation would phase out all the hired vehicles by March next year. The corporation would also start one-stop buses from Bidar to the taluks. Two air-conditioned city buses would be introduced in Bidar, which would ply between the Karnataka Veterinary University and Naubad and Siddharoodha Math and Naubad.

The corporation would spend Rs. 2 crore on building a new bus stand in Humnabad. It would also build a new bus stand in Santpur in Aurad taluk and Basava Kalyan. The Bidar bus stand was being upgraded at Rs. 60 lakh. The one in Bhalki would be upgraded soon, Mr. Patil said.

Divisional Controller Shivashankaparappa and Depot Transport Officer Shiva Swamy were present.

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