Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: In an effort to make public transport in the city more efficient, comfortable and eco-friendly, 34 air-conditioned electric buses introduced through a joint initiative of the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation and the Aurangabad Smart City Development Corporation were inaugurated by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday.
At an event held at the Divisional Sports Complex in Garkheda, Chief Minister Fadnavis also unveiled plaques marking the inauguration of the bus service and various other development projects undertaken by the Municipal Corporation.
Present on the occasion were Minister for Social Justice and District Guardian Minister Sanjay Shirsat, Minister for Other Backward and Bahujan Welfare Atul Save, Member of Parliament Sandipan Bhumre, Members of the Legislative Assembly Suhas Shirsat, Anuradha Chavan and Narayan Kuche, Divisional Commissioner G Srikant, District Collector Vinay Gowda GC, Mayor Sameer Rajurkar, Municipal Commissioner Amol Yedge and Deputy Director of the Sports and Youth Services Department Shekhar Patil, along with other public representatives and senior officials.
The newly introduced air-conditioned electric buses will provide passengers with a more comfortable and secure travel experience. The buses have begun passenger services from Monday and operate on various routes across the city. The Municipal Corporation plans to introduce another 100 electric buses under the PM e-Bus scheme, further expanding the city's public transport network.
To promote the use of electric vehicles, EV charging stations have been set up beneath the Bhagwan Mahavir flyover, near Connaught Garden and near Baba Petrol Pump. These facilities were inaugurated by the Chief Minister. The civic body also plans to develop charging stations at 10 additional locations across the city.
Additionally, a 100-kW solar power plant has been installed at the Siddharth Garden parking facility. The project is expected to help reduce electricity expenses and promote the use of clean energy.
The Chief Minister also inaugurated the new building of the Municipal Corporation's primary and secondary school at Mitmita. Located in the Devgiri Valley area, the school has 24 classrooms, a library, a computer room, a science laboratory, digital learning facilities, smart classrooms and a playground.
During the event, the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation handed over a cheque for ₹59.14 lakh to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund to aid drought-affected people. Mayor Sameer Rajurkar and Municipal Commissioner Amol Yedge presented the cheque to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
