The Hindu : Front Page : Rs. 10 crore allotted to release impounded State buses of Madurai division: Minister

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Rs. 10 crore allotted to release impounded State buses of Madurai division: Minister

R. Vimal Kumar

— Photo: K. Ganesan

In custody: TNSTC buses parked on the Madurai District Court premises.

Tuticorin: The Chief Minister had granted Rs. 10 crore to get impounded buses of the Madurai division of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation released from court, said Transport Minister K.N. Nehru.

Speaking to The Hindu on Thursday, he said that of the allocation, Rs. 1.26 crore was utilised to release 47 buses. Steps would be taken to get the remaining 347 buses released at the earliest.

To augment the fleet and replace old buses with new ones, orders had been placed for 3,500 buses with financial assistance of Rs. 330 crore from the Government and the rest from corporation funds.

Of this, 1,000 buses would be inducted into Tirunelveli, Nagercoil, Virudhunagar, Dindigul and Madurai regions in phases before November 15.

From other divisions

Besides, plans were afoot to utilise about 400 buses of other divisions to strengthen services in Madurai division.

Since the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government assumed office in 2006, 1,000 new routes were sanctioned and another 1,200 extended.

Though the diesel and establishment costs had increased in the last few years, causing enormous burden on various transport corporations, the government had ensured that the fare structure was the lowest in the country.

While mofussil buses charged just 28 paise for a kilometre, express buses charged 32 paise.

Steps would be taken to make the loss-making Tirunelveli and Nagercoil regions profitable, he said.

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