VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) will soon supply High Speed Diesel (HSD) to all government vehicles from its 129 bus depots. The RTC has written to the State government urging it to submit the details of vehicle of various departments.
According to RTC officials, on an average the corporation will utilise around 30 crore litres of HSD per annum for its buses, including hired vehicles. Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) are major suppliers of the fuel to the RTC.
From March 1, the RTC started purchasing HSD from retail outlets instead of going for bulk purchases. The OMCs are supplying diesel in bulk to the RTC at a lesser price of `3-5 per litre compared to other outlets.
Hence, the RTC has decided to cater to the fuel needs of vehicles of various government departments from its bus depots in the State. According to an estimate, there are 10,000 vehicles in various government departments apart from that of police.
On an average, 200 litres of diesel will be required for each vehicle and the total quantum of requirement is 20 lakh litres of diesel per month and 2.4 crore litres per annum. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) cards will be issued to the government departments by the RTC to make use of diesel purchased from the corporation.
A senior RTC official said that a few government departments have already given their HSD requirement details for vehicles and supply will begin to them soon. The depot staff manning the fuel pumps will enter the details of HSD supply manually for a few days until the RFID cards were issued to the departments.
The purchase of HSD from the RTC for government vehicles will be a smooth affair, including the price advantage. The RTC pays the OMCs every 2-3 days for the diesel supplied. "We have written to the government to clear payments for the RTC on time for the HSD supplied to the vehicles of various departments," he said, adding that the supply of HSD will begin soon.