Round 80 electrical air-conditioned buses are at the moment mendacity unused attributable to an absence of charging factors in metropolis. Other than leaving commuters to journey in run-down, non-AC buses, that is additionally inflicting monetary losses to the Nagpur Municipal Company (NMC).
The NMC pays INR 74.12/km for diesel-run commonplace buses, and INR 50.93/km for electrical AC buses.
The 80 buses are a part of the 144 electrical AC buses procured via PMI Electro Mobility Options Personal Restricted, a Haryana-based firm, from funds launched by state govt’s fifteenth Finance Fee. The agency was to ship all of the buses, and arrange needed charging amenities by December 2023.
“It has been over a month since these buses are mendacity unused,” admitted a senior official from NMC’s transport division. The official stated the agency is creating a depot in Wathoda space of south Nagpur.
Sources, nevertheless, identified that it’ll take a few months for the depot to grow to be operational. Till then, the agency will be unable to roll out all of the AC buses on metropolis roads. The official added that the agency is about to finish the supply of the remaining buses quickly.
One other official stated that the registration of many buses equipped by PMI remains to be not full. That is additionally one of many causes behind the buses mendacity unused.
The Haryana-based PMI not solely didn’t ship the buses but in addition arrange charging stations on time. Until date, the agency has delivered 109 buses, of which 80 are mendacity unused for lack of charging amenities. Sources stated that PMI has not arrange even a single charging station thus far. Additionally, it’s but to ship the remaining 35 buses.
As per contract, PMI is to put in 22 charging factors at Wathoda depot and 6 at Mor Bhavan bus stand. Of the 109 AC e-buses delivered by PMI, solely 29 are in operation due to 4 charging factors at Lakadganj arrange by EVEYTRANS, one other non-public agency engaged by NMC.
The buses offered by EVEYTRANS are charged at Wadi depot the place it has arrange 20 charging factors. The 40 air-conditioned electrical buses offered by Nagpur Sensible and Sustainable Metropolis Improvement Company Restricted (NSSCDCL) are charged at its Hingna depot that has 15 charging factors. The prevailing charging factors are inadequate in opposition to the fleet of 195 electrical buses, a supply stated.
NMC has a fleet of 627 Aapli Buses, of which it operates round 420 on over 100 routes. The fleet has round 237 commonplace buses, which is able to go off-road this 12 months. Of the usual buses, the NMC had already scrapped 77 buses.
