Lokmat News Network
Malegaon, OCT 2
The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) is introducing 'e-buses' to promote environmentally-friendly public transportation in the state. Malegaon depot received approval for 35 such buses six months ago. However, residents of Malegaon are still awaiting to travel by them. These buses are not on the road as there are no charging stations to charge them.
Buses from Malegaon depot travel to cities such as Ahmedabad, Surat, Pune, Mumbai, Bhiwandi, Solapur, Kolhapur, Akkalkot, and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar. However, only a few buses are in good condition. The older and less maintained buses are used for commuter transportation within a range of 200 to 300 kilometres to cities like Dhule, Shirpur, Jalgaon, and Nashik.
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Buses in dilapidated state
Many buses of the MSRTC are in a bad state due to lack of maintenance. This causes inconvenience to the passengers, as well as frustration for drivers and conductors. To ensure comfortable and environmentally friendly journeys for passengers, the decision to acquire pollution-free electric buses in Malegaon depot had been taken. This move aims to make travel enjoyable and environmentally conscious.
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Passengers waiting for e-buses
The Central Government has sanctioned the purchase of 123 environmentally friendly electric buses. A letter confirming the approval of 35 buses for Malegaon depot had been received in June. However, the absence of charging stations at depot is causing delays in the deployment of these buses. This raises the question of how much longer the residents of Malegaon will have to wait for these buses to become available.
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Malegaon depot received approval for e-buses long ago. However, due to the absence of charging stations here, the buses have not been deployed yet.
Manisha Deore, Depot Manager, Malegaon