Panaji: Ten 53-seater semi-luxury buses were inducted into the Kadamba Transport Corporation Ltd (KTC) fleet on Friday. Chief minister Pramod Sawant, transport minister Mauvin Godinho and KTC chairperson Ulhas Tuyekar flagged off the new buses at the Panaji bus terminus.Private bus operators needed to become part of Goa’s public transport system, Sawant said at the flag-off. The sector could offer them a viable business opportunity while improving services for commuters, he added.“Three to four lakh people travel by bus daily,” the CM said.He said govt’s Mhaji Bus scheme had been designed to bring private bus owners into the public transport network. “Private bus owners are lagging behind in Goa and they need to come on board in the public bus sector,” Sawant said.TOI had earlier reported that a public notice was issued by the transport department last month that the Mhaji Bus Scheme was being implemented from Aug 1. In the notice, all private stage carriage bus owners who are willing to join the Mhaji Bus Scheme were asked to complete the enrollment process prior to the implementation by submitting their documents to the RTO within their jurisdiction.Later, Tuyekar said, “A lot of interstate routes are inoperable currently due to the shortage of buses. I appeal to govt to provide KTC with additional buses so that the corporation can resume and strengthen services on these routes.”Interstate services connect the state with neighbouring states and cities in Maharashtra and Karnataka.Godinho said, “One of our most high-income-yielding buses are on interstate routes. We stand to make more earnings on interstate routes than on local routes as local routes are not very profitable. When we enhance the fleet on interstate routes, it can cover up the losses incurred on the local routes.”He also raised concerns over the impending loss of existing buses from the operational fleet.“Under the prevailing central govt policy, buses can generally be operated for 15 years. If the policy is applied strictly, around 150 KTC buses could have to be taken off the road in the coming years. We are appealing to central govt to let us ply such buses for five more years and allow us to repair them instead of condemning them. Otherwise, there will be a serious shortage of KTC buses,” Godinho said.
