Hyderabad: Telangana Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on Tuesday, September 1, said that Telangana Road Transport Corporation’s free bus services under the Mahalakshmi Scheme helped women in the state save Rs 12,167 crore.
Addressing a meeting at the Bus Bhavan in Hyderabad on the occasion of 1,000 days of the Congress government, the minister said women had made 347.36 crore free journeys so far under the scheme, which was launched within 48 hours of the government assuming office.
He added that the scheme has also pushed TGSRTC’s occupancy rate from around 67 to 89 per cent.
The minister went on to outline the government’s initiatives in public transport, women’s empowerment, employee welfare, electric mobility and road safety.
2,200 electric buses to be added
Prabhakar said the government will introduce 2,200 electric buses in addition to the 1,024 already in the fleet. “Under the PM E-DRIVE programme, the government is operating electric buses in Hyderabad and has initiated the retrofitting of 240 diesel buses,” Prabhakar said.
The minister added that the Telangana government has also provided tax exemptions worth around Rs 1,400 crore as part of its efforts to promote electric mobility and reduce pollution.
He said that the government is also seeking to turn women into participants in the transport sector rather than merely beneficiaries of free travel.
“As many as 600 buses have been procured through SERP and women’s self-help groups, with their operation entrusted to the groups,” the minister said.
New RTC buses
Prabhakar went on to say that the government has purchased 2,932 new buses since coming to power to improve public transport services.
TGSRTC has also expanded services to 370 new routes in Hyderabad, while efforts are under way to connect villages and other areas that previously lacked adequate bus services.
He added that the government plans to improve last-mile connectivity by coordinating RTC services with MMTS and Metro Rail.
4,538 RTC jobs filled
The government has initiated recruitment for 4,538 posts in TGSRTC, he said.
Recruitment for 1,000 drivers and 743 shramik posts has been completed, while permission has been granted to fill 1,500 conductor posts, the minister said.
Around 244 employees who had previously been removed from service were reinstated after their cases were reviewed by a special IAS committee, the minister added.
