Puducherry government seeks more time to scrap 15-year-old public buses

The Puducherry territorial administration has sought one more year to implement Ministry of Road Transport’s order to de-register and scrap 15 year old government owned-buses.

The Puducherry territorial administration has sought one more year to implement Ministry of Road Transport’s order to de-register and scrap 15 year old government owned-buses.

Seeking extension of time at a meeting convened by the Ministry in New Delhi on Tuesday, Minister for Transport S. Chandira Priyanga said 90% of the buses operated by the Puducherry Road Transport Corporation were 15 years old or nearing 15 years. The PRTC owns a fleet of 175 buses. The Corporation was fully dependent on grants from the government for its functioning, she said.

“Scrapping of these vehicles as per the notification will be a huge financial burden and bring about difficulties in operating buses in urban and inter-State routes. Hence, we request the Ministry to extend the time for scrapping of the vehicles owned by PRTC for a period of one year and also consider allocating funds for replacement of buses owned by the Corporation,” she said.

The Minister also said that the administration had initiated the process to purchase 25 electric buses. Purchasing of these e-buses however, would not be sufficient to cater to the UT’s public transportation needs, she said.

The Minister also urged the Centre to include the UT under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme for availing of funds. Inclusion of the UT would help PRTC to tide over its financial crisis, she said.

The government was in the process of releasing an e-vehicle policy by the end of this month, she said adding that the administration was taking all steps to achieve the goal of zero emission.