BMTC views budget as ‘double trouble’

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Prior to the presentation of the budget, mobility forums in the city had demanded an allocation of Rs 2,950 crore solely for the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) in this year’s budget to improve public transportation.

The Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike (BBPV) had urged Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to allocate an adequate amount citing that more buses mean more revenue. In the state budget announced on Friday, the government has allotted Rs 500 crore for procurement of 1,200 buses for all the four road transport corporations.

The BBPV had demanded funds for procurement of 3,000 buses for the BMTC alone. The BMTC may now receive only around 300 buses. “The government has also put a hiring freeze on BMTC, which is crippling the corporation," he said.