The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) has sought over ₹ 1,500 crore and will decide on procurement of buses after funds are sanctioned in the upcoming State Budget session.
TSRTC Managing Director V C Sajjanar confirmed the development to The Hindu. “We have asked for ₹ 1,560 crore in this budget session. We will decide on bus procurement after the budget session,” he said.
As was reported in these columns, the transport juggernaut, a bulk buyer of fuel, finds itself in a precarious position with oil marketing companies hiking the price per litre of high-speed diesel by ₹ 7. Losses are inevitable. With the per-day diesel consumption being approximately 5.5 lakh litres, which has fluctuated in the recent past on account of the pandemic, the TSRTC is staring at per-day losses which could be between ₹ 35 lakh and ₹ 40 lakh.
On the other hand, the TSRTC is grappling with an ageing fleet. A large number of old buses buses are scheduled to be phased out. According to official data, despite this, there was no budget plan to procure buses in FYs 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22. The last time buses were bought was in FY 2018-19, when only 16 buses were bought.
The TSRTC has several vehicles which have crossed the age threshold of 15 years or have run 13 lakh km. There are at least 650 buses, especially City Ordinary, such vehicles plying within the city. It is estimated that at least 1,800 vehicles have already aged, or will cross the threshold and are due for replacement. A source said that the TSRTC intends to replace several buses other than City Ordinary, which run long distances. However, this will be contingent upon the funds the transport juggernaut is according in the upcoming budget session.
