HYDERABAD: Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Sunday announced that 100 electric buses will be introduced in Nizamabad and Warangal towns under the PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) Scheme.
While instructing officials to establish charging stations and necessary infrastructure, the deputy chief minister also said that 2,800 electric buses will be introduced in Hyderabad.
Vikramarka, along with Transport & BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, held a review meeting with the RTC and BC welfare department officials.
During the meeting, Vikramarka said that TGSRTC is now making profits because of the Mahalakshmi scheme. “So far, under the Mahalakshmi scheme, 2.55 billion (255 crore) free bus journeys have been recorded by the RTC,” he said.
During the previous government’s tenure, PF dues in RTC stood at Rs 1,400 crore, which the present government managed to bring it down to Rs 660 crore within two years. “Similarly, CCS dues, which earlier stood at Rs 600 crore, have now been reduced to Rs 373 crore,” he said while advising the RTC officials to explore new avenues to generate revenue.
The deputy CM instructed Finance Secretary Sandeep Kumar Sultania to ensure that uniforms, books and shoes are distributed to students on the very first day of the academic year, and that there should be no financial hurdles in releasing the required funds. He also directed officials to ensure that free electricity bill dues for barber shops and dhobi associations are released regularly every month.
Meanwhile, Ponnam Prabhakar requested the deputy chief minister to seek finance department approval for recruitment for assistant traffic managers.
He also sought permission for temporary appointments as well as approval for 50 per cent regular recruitment for 3,233 conductor posts required until March 2026.