NMC admin delaying electric buses for city, alleges Transport Committee chief
   Date :29-Jan-2021

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Narendra alias Balya Borkar, Chairman of Transport Committee of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), has accused the civic body administration of delaying the execution of Centrally-sponsored electric bus project in city.
 
Interacting with mediapersons on Thursday at NMC, Borkar said that Central Government had released Rs 3.60 crore for procurement of electric buses for Nagpur city. “NMC has received the amount and it is duty-bound to release the same to the company with which agreement has been done. However, the administration is unnecessarily delaying the same in the name of further negotiations with the company,” he alleged.
 
According to Borkar, Centre had offered assistance to procure 100 electric buses. However, considering NMC’s financial health, NMC had given nod to procuring 40 buses with Central assistance. Accordingly, tenders were published and only one company M/s Olectra Green Tech Pvt Ltd responded despite calling the tender thrice. As the NMC administration found the rates quoted by the company higher, the then Municipal Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe negotiated it. The company reduced the rate. Later, an agreement was done after approval in the meeting of Transport Committee of NMC.
 
“The present-day NMC administration is deliberately delaying the execution of the project. The bus prototype at Hyderabad facility of the company has not been inspected. If there is no approval in time, Central Government will not release further aid of Rs 7.20 crore. The electric buses will not come to Nagpur and the effort to reduce pollution due to public transport will be hit,” Borkar said. To see electric buses ply on city roads is a dream project of Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister, he added. The issue would come up for discussion in the committee meeting on Friday, he added.