PANAJI
A bulk allotment of more than 500 electric buses worth around Rs 700 crore has been cleared for Goa through CSR (Corporate-Social Responsibility) initiative of the IIT Alumni Council.
Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho said these buses will start arriving in the State soon and will further strengthen the public transport system primarily catered to by the Kadamba Transport Corporation.
Godinho, who was speaking to the media on the sidelines of the State cabinet meeting on Wednesday, however, did not put a timeline for the arrival of these 500-plus buses.
Goa’s Chief Secretary Punit Kumar Goel, IAS, is said to have played a role in getting the all clear from the IIT Alumni Council for the funds.
Himself an IITian, Goel had pitched the proposal on behalf of the Goa government for electric buses from the ‘CSR’ fund some months ago and got a positive response now.
The deal will entail an outgo of Rs 700 crore from the CSR funds of the IIT Alumni Council which will reportedly be paid directly to the supplier companies. The nitty-gritties of the deal, including the timeline over which these buses will physically arrive in the State were however not known.
Godinho, meanwhile said the State government is making concerted efforts to ensure that the public transport system is strengthened. He said, emphasis is being laid on purchasing electric buses from the Central Government through the KTC.
“Once these additional 500 e-buses under the CSR initiative of the IIT Alumni Council come, it will be of great benefit to the people of Goa,” Godinho said, adding that these e-buses will be operated by the KTC on the ‘no profit no loss’ principle.
