Special fund for Transport Corporations promised says karunaanithi

VIRUDHUNAGAR: Despite a projected loss of Rs.773 crore faced by the transport corporations in the State this year, the outstanding dues to workers and pensioners could be paid in a couple of years with Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi promising to release special funds for transport corporations, Transport Minister K.N. Nehru said.

“If we are still able to introduce new buses and new routes, it is only because of the encouragement given by the Chief Minister,” he said while inaugurating a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation depot at Kariyapatti here on Sunday. Over and above the loans taken by the corporations, the State Government has given a fund of Rs.1,048 crore to procure around 13,500 new buses in the last three years.

Reiterating that the present Government has not increased the bus fare, he said the base fare in various types of services operated by the corporations was fixed by the previous Government. “Only thing is that we are operating buses in some of the (new) services for which the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam fixed the base fare,” Mr. Nehru said. Bus fare in the State was the lowest in the country and had not been increased in spite of the increase in the price of diesel for around 20 times.

The Government has decided to bifurcate the Madurai division of the TNSTC, the biggest among the seven divisions in the State, for administrative reasons.

A new divisional office would soon come up at Tirunelveli. The Madurai division had a cumulative outstanding of Rs.823 crore, including arrears in pension, Provident Fund, commutation and loans.

The arrears due for workers/pensioners would be paid in two years’ time with the special fund promised by the Chief Minister. Besides, the division would get an additional amount of Rs.63 crore every year if the State Government increased the reimbursement from 60 per cent to cent per cent towards the free bus passes issued to students. “The division would become self-sufficient then,” Mr. Nehru said.

New bus services on four new routes were introduced on the occasion.

Minister for Backward Classes Welfare K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran said the people these days wanted quality bus services on a par with that of private buses and requested Mr. Nehru to introduce new buses for Virudhunagar district.