Nagpur: Electric buses will dominate Nagpur’s public transport system in the near future as the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) plans to increase its fleet of e-buses by 652 in the next couple of years. Dr Abhijit Chaudhari, Municipal Commissioner, revealed this during the Transport Budget that was presented in NMC on Monday.
Ravindra Bhelawe, Deputy Commissioner, handed over the Transport Budget of Rs 517.72 crore to Dr Chaudhari, as NMC is expecting expenses of Rs 517.34 crore during the financial year 2024-25. Bhelawe claimed that the current Transport Budget was completely an eco-friendly budget which was prepared to improve the air quality of the city. NMC is currently plying 108 e-buses on roads on different routes, of which it got 40 buses from Nagpur Smart and Sustainable City Development Corporation Ltd (NSSCDCL).
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In all, there are 540 buses on the road currently, of which 108 are e-buses, 45 are mini buses, 150 are midi buses, and 237are CNG buses. “NMC is working on replacing all its diesel buses with electric buses in the next couple of years. Under Central and State Government schemes, the civic body is getting 544 more e-buses during that period,” Bhelawe told the media.
More than 1.15 lakh passengers are travelling on 540 city buses daily and in a year the number will increase further. These buses cover more than 5,232 trips daily on different city routes. To encourage public transport among citizens, NMC is increasing its fleet of electric buses in the near future. For passengers, NMC constructed 239 bus stops under build, operate, and transfer (BOT) basis with the help of Signpost India Pvt Ltd. Under this contract with the private partner, NMC is getting a royalty of Rs 14,600 per bus, informed Bhelawe.
The civic body is also constructing a robust charging infrastructure for electric buses in Nagpur. NMC constructed an electric bus depot cum charging station at Wadi area on a 3 acre land. The administration got land for construction of another bus depot at Orange City Street where NMC will install 15 DC charging units for its buses. NMC got a fund of Rs 137 crore for purchasing 250 standard AC e-busses with the help of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
NMC has also made its new electric buses more Divyang friendly as these buses have a system to lift wheelchairs and also fitted with special space for Divyang people. Two more bus depots at Khapri and Koradi will come up soon for parking and charging of e-busses in near future. NMC will get the fund of Rs 3.26 crore for construction of Koradi depot and Rs 14.57 crore for Khapri depot. The Central Government will pay the 60 percent of the amount whereas NMC will arrange the remaining 40 percent fund.
