Nagpur: After nearly seven months delay, PMI Electro Mobility Options, an electric bus manufacturer based in Haryana, has finally commenced the delivery of electric buses to the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), following a notice demanding the recovery of fines.
According to the Deputy Commissioner and Transport Director Suresh Bagle, a notice was sent to the company last month for recovery of the fine which led its officials to come to the city and meet with the Municipal Commissioner. During the meeting, the company committed to delivering seven electric buses each week and promised to fulfil the target of delivering 144buses by March of this year. Failure to meet the deadline would result in the stringent imposition of fines, he said.
According to Bagle, NMC has received a total of 29 electric buses thus far. The initial agreement required the company to deliver 44 buses by October of the previous year, a commitment that the company failed to fulfil. In adherence to the contractual norms, the NMC has the authority to impose fines, specifically of Rs 12,000 per day for each electric bus not delivered, as per the stipulated deadline. This penalty, amounting to 0.1% of the Rs 12 crore bank guarantee, can be collected by the NMC.
In 2022, the NMC entered into a contract stipulating the delivery of 144 air-conditioned electric buses. A financial allocation of Rs 72 crore was provided to the NMC under the 15th Finance Commission for the purchase of these buses. In addition to supplying and operating the 144 electric buses, PMI is also tasked with constructing a central charging station in Wathoda. However, only 29 air-conditioned electric buses have been delivered to the NMC thus far, and these have already been integrated into the Aapli Bus fleet, which comprises a total of 450 buses, covering 191 routes.
According to the agreement, PMI was obligated to deliver 14 buses in August, followed by 10 in September. Subsequent phases included the delivery of 20 buses in October, 30 in November, and the final batch of 60 buses in December of the previous year. In response to the delays, NMC had issued a first notice to the company in August last year.
On the 191 routes covered by the Aapli Bus service, the average daily ridership is approximately 1.44 lakh passengers. On weekdays, the Aapli Bus service generates an average daily income of around Rs 25 lakh from its operations.
