Thane: Ulhasnagar citizens will be getting a new year’s gift from the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) in the form of electric buses. The civic body has decided to resume its transport service under the Ulhasnagar Municipal Transport (UMT) banner and has floated tenders for purchase of 20 electric buses for which a fund of Rs 30 crore has been allocated.
Earlier, the UMT bus service started by the UMC through a private contractor in the year 2010, received a good response from the citizens. However, due to a dispute between the civic body and the contractor over the hike in ticket prices, the contractor stopped the transport bus service in 2013 in a phased manner. Since then there has been no civic bus service in Ulhasnagar.
The UMT bus services were operational in other parts like Ambernath and Badlapur too.
The efforts of UMC Deputy Commissioner Ashok Naikwade, who has been urging the state government to start the transport bus service in Ulhasnagar and surrounding areas for the last one and a half years, finally paid off.
“The UMC will purchase 20 electric buses out of which 10 buses will be 30-seaters and 10 large buses. As 10 buses will be air-conditioned one the journey of the citizens will also become easier,” Naikwade told The FPJ.
“We will soon start the process of purchasing the buses which will start operating within four months. The electric bus service by UMC for the citizens of Ulhasnagar and surrounding areas will be a new year gift for them,” UMC Commissioner Aziz Sheikh informed.
“We are in talks with the companies dealing with buses. Through e-tendering a company will be finalised and 20 electric buses will be purchased. The company will bear the cost for the driver and the maintenance of the buses, while the civic body will look after the appointment of conductor and ticket sales. In order to check that no disputes take place between any company and civic body we will set some terms and conditions,” Sheikh further added.
“We plan to purchase more buses in future if the response to the 20 electric buses is good,” said Sheikh.
The UMT bus services will be started on a total of five routes within the civic body limit, besides Ambernath and Badlapur area.
Sashikant Dayama, a social activist from Ulhasnagar said, “The common citizens from Ulhasnagar and surrounding areas will get relief due to the buses. The good news is that now the arbitrariness of the rickshaw-pullers will be curbed. Earlier most of the political party leaders urged the UMC commissioner to start the transport bus service of the civic body.”
Anurag Kamble (36) a journalist and a resident of Ulhasnagar said, “As of now I travel in auto-rickshaw whose drivers charge as per their whims. They charge around Rs 60 to cover the same distance for which the bus will charge Rs 15.”
