Title - 200 more buses for Guwahati City likely

GUWAHATI, Sept 25 – The city is likely to get 200 more city buses under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewable Mission (JNNURM) with a financial assistance of Rs 52 crore from the Central government.
Disclosing this, sources in the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) told this newspaper that the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (CSMC) of the Union Urban Development Ministry is evaluating the proposal submitted by the GMDA to the Central government for the purpose.

The Central government is pressing for a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to operate the buses. However, the State is yet to form the SPV.

The city received 182 buses from the Central government under phase-I of the JNNURM and these buses are under the operation of the Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC).

But now, the pressure is for placing the JNNURM-scheme buses under the SPV. Normally, the SPV should include the GMDA, the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC), ASTC and the State Government, as has been laid down in the JNNURM guidelines meant for the purpose, sources said.

Of the 200 buses proposed for the city this time, 72 are midi-buses, 28 are separate low-floor buses, 28 are standard air-condition (A/C) buses and 72 are non-A/C standard low-floor buses.

The estimated cost of these buses may undergo some changes due to the lowest price offered in the bidding prices.

The final decision on the buses rests with the CSMC, sources said, adding, for other Assam and NE towns, the Government of India has fixed a target of about 200 buses under the phase-II of the JNNURM during the current fiscal.