The Hindu : Front Page : KSRTC set to make big savings on chassis purchase this year

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Friday, May 04, 2007
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KSRTC set to make big savings on chassis purchase this year

C. Gouridasan Nair

Savings in the region of Rs.1.20 lakh to Rs.1.50 lakh for each chassis

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) could be buying 1,250 bus chassis this year for the price it paid for 1,000 chassis in 2005. The Corporation is all set to achieve this seemingly incredible feat by going in, for the first time in recent history, for tender system for purchase of chassis.

The savings on each chassis could be in the region of Rs.1.51 lakh in the case of Tata Motors and Rs.1.20 lakh in the case of Ashok Leyland, two major bus chassis manufacturers in the country. The Corporation had paid Rs.7.98 lakh a chassis to Tata Motors and Rs.8.10 lakh a chassis to Ashok Leyland. The effective rate at which the Corporation would be buying chassis this year would be Rs.6.47 lakh in the case of chassis manufactured by Tata Motors and Rs.6.92 lakh in the case of Ashok Leyland.

With Transport Minister Mathew T. Thomas fully endorsing the proposal, the Corporation had decided to go in for tender system to derive maximum benefit from chassis purchase as is being done by the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) and the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC). Almost 90 per cent of the Corporation fleet are run on conventional chassis for which the end rate quoted by Tata Motors was Rs.6.86 lakh a chassis and that by Ashok Leyland was Rs.7.31 lakh.

The Corporation had put stiff conditions in its tender notification and asked the bidders to factor in the cost of additional items such as automatic slack adjuster, speed governor, easy riding driver seat, education cess at 2 to 3 per cent and the cost of door delivery at any of the body building units of the KSRTC, together costing around Rs.39,000.

Automatic slack adjuster and speed governors are mandatory under the Central Motor Vehicle Rules. Over and above these, the Corporation had also stipulated that the chassis manufacturers should supply specific brands of tyres, batteries, steering and electrical assemblies for ease of maintenance, it is learnt.

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