Raichur: Transport Minister Chaluvarayaswamy has said that his department has finalised a proposal to take up modernisation of bus stations in all district and taluk headquarters in the State and added that the project would be completed in three years.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, he said apart from modernising major bus stations, the department also planned to increase the number of schedules from the district and taluk headquarters in the State to rural areas to provide better transportation to people living there.

He said the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation had earned a profit of Rs. 220 crore last year.

Except the North-East Karnataka Road Transportation Corporation (NEKRTC), all other corporations in the State had registered considerable profit last year.

However, in the last three months, the NEKRTC had shown a profit of about Rs. 6 crore and he hoped that its financial position would improve in the coming months.

He said the Transport Department has decided to spend about Rs. 35 crore in the first phase and another Rs. 15 crore in the second phase this year for renovation and modernisation of all bus stands in the district and taluk headquarters in NEKRTC limits. The department had provided 300 new buses to the NEKRTC last year and planned to add another 700 buses this financial year.

It had planned to add 500 schedules this year to improve the transportation facilities in rural areas in all districts falling under the limits of the corporation, he said.

Bus pass fares

On the demand to withdraw the hike in bus passes for schoolchildren, the Minister said the charges of the bus passes for schoolchildren were based on the subsidy given by the Government.

This year, the department had enhanced the monthly bus passes charges from Rs. 50 to Rs. 60 for each student which was within the permitted level of subsidy on bus passes, he said.

Minister for Cooperatives G.T. Devegouda said the waiver on crop loans announced by the Government would not be continued further.

The farmers should take the benefit of the scheme within the limited period. However, the Government has decided to extend crop loans to the farmers through the cooperative banks and societies at a subsidised interest rate of four per cent, he added.

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