After putting it on hold for around two years, Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has approved the proposal for Tejaswini buses that will ply exclusively for women.
Thane Municipal Transport (TMT) will hire around 150 women conductors for the buses that are likely to arrive in September.
The civic body’s decision was made on Friday at its standing committee meeting.
“Following the civic body’s approval, TMT has floated tenders to purchase 50 Tejaswini buses, all of which will be added to the TMT fleet in the first week of the September,” said Sandeep Malvi, transport manager, TMT. “The buses will be run on crowded routes and will have CCTV cameras, a panic button and GPS tracking system.”
Malvi said the Tejaswini buses would cost around ₹14 crore, which will be provided by the state government.
“The government has already provided ₹6 crore and the remaining amount will be sanctioned soon,” he said. “It will happen before the model code of conduct comes into force for Assembly elections.”
The state, in its budget for 2016-17, had dedicated 300 Tejaswini buses for women commuters and had made a provision for ₹50 crore for it. The 300 buses were for six municipal corporations including Kalyan-Dombivli, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Mumbai and Thane.
{{/usCountry}}The state, in its budget for 2016-17, had dedicated 300 Tejaswini buses for women commuters and had made a provision for ₹50 crore for it. The 300 buses were for six municipal corporations including Kalyan-Dombivli, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Mumbai and Thane.
{{/usCountry}}The TMT runs 300 buses for a population of around 24 lakh, which is not sufficient.
“The Tejaswini buses will be very helpful for the women commuters who can travel with the ease and safety,” said a TMT official.
In July, Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking said it will spend ₹11 crore it received from the state government’s Tejaswini scheme, to buy 37 new buses.