Allowing state to purchase buses with own funds, CM directs devising new scheme countering Centre’s ‘PM e-Drive’

Kolkata: Protesting against the Centre’s new scheme which allegedly aims to handover government buses to corporate entities, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has decided that Bengal will devise its own scheme allowing the state to purchase buses with its own funds and the responsibility for managing these will be handed over to interested youths with certain incentive allowances.

The Ministry of Heavy Industries has introduced the PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM e-Drive) programme where a number of international corporations will buy these contemporary, non-polluting buses valued at roughly Rs 1.5 crore each. Such corporate entities will receive a subsidy of Rs 25 lakh per bus from the Centre. Under the “corporate culture”, these buses will run on city streets with conductors from private businesses and government drivers. The Central government has already stopped state allocations for purchasing new buses. Instead, it is opening the door to ‘guaranteed’ income by providing one-time subsidies to multinationals. However, the state has to provide the “guarantee” that corporates in Kolkata will receive Rs 55 per kilometre. State’s ‘guarantee’ rent to corporates would be approximately Rs 200 crore per year, based on calculations.

What happens if the revenues are Rs 30 rather than Rs 55? The remaining Rs 25 per kilometre subsidy will then be the responsibility of the state government. If not, the Centre will take the money out of the state’s fund, sources said.

Banerjee is against this scheme of the Centre, asserting that the state government will not privatise its transportation system. She believes that it’s a ploy by the Centre to deduct state’s funds, especially at a time when it has withheld funds for Bengal for several Central schemes. As an alternative, she has directed the Chief Secretary to devise a new scheme where the state will purchase buses with its own funds. These will be managed by interested youths with certain employment incentives. At present, the state operates around 200 buses, which will be increased to 500 buses shortly, she mentioned.