City kept waiting for buses by CWG

Firms supposed to send new buses gave priority to CWG deliveries

Firms supposed to send new buses gave priority to CWG deliveries

The introduction of 500 more buses in the PMPML fleet will have to wait. The process to get the new vehicles could not be completed because of the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

PMPML Traffic Manager Sunil Gawli said both Tata and Ashok Leyland companies were given the contract for the new buses, but they were busy making deliveries for the CWG.

"The companies could not deliver our buses on time. Now that the Commonwealth Games are over, we are expecting the first fleet of new buses by next month," said Gawli.

The purchase of the buses, sanctioned under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), is already late by almost two years because of the delay in the budget by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and JNNURM approval. The new buses are to be run on public-private partnership basis.

There has been much controversy over the new PMPML buses since the idea was mooted. One of the biggest was over whether it should doors on the right or left side.

"At present the city has 1,578 buses and 700 more are required to meet the present needs of commuters," said Dilip Band, chairman, PMPML.

Band added that in addition to the 500 buses, the Centre has given in-principle sanction for another 200 buses for the city.

"I am confident that over 2,200 buses will be on city roads by March 2011," said Band.

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