Now women from the Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) area will get concessions while commuting in Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport’s (NMMT) buses as the general body of Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) cleared a proposal for providing a special grant of Rs 60 lakh to the transport undertaking.
The decision will benefit thousands of women commuters from the PMC area who use NMMT buses for short-distance travel. The PMC does not have its own transport unit and residents have to rely on NMMT buses.
The demand from citizens was pending for a long time as the NMMT had stopped giving concessions outside NMMC jurisdiction. Initially, NMMT was giving concessions. However, in order to check the losses that were increasing, the transport undertaking had sought a grant from PMC to continue the facility. The PMC was initially reluctant to give any grant. Finally, the civic body cleared a proposal to provide relief to women commuters.
The proposal was brought in during the general body meeting held on Thursday which received support from the ruling and the opposition. PMC commissioner Ganesh Deshmukh said that the issue of getting concessions in NMMT buses would be solved now.
At present NMMT bus service is free for the disabled, 50 percent concession for students and senior citizens. However, women passengers are not given concessions. However, the proposal was cleared by the PMC on Thursday, now the female passengers have been included and they would 50% concession on fares. At present, NMMT runs more than 70 buses in the PMC area.
Before the PMC came into existence, the Panvel Municipal Council had taken the initiative to start its own bus services. The council had also floated tender to procure buses. But the project could not be executed due to a lack of funds.
