AP to get 1,200 new buses

New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh is all set to receive 1,200 buses from the Centre under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). Of the 10,000 buses, apart from 1,200 for Andhra Pradesh, around 2,000 buses have been set aside for the North-East and hilly areas, while Tamil Nadu has sought 3,000 city buses.

According Urban Development Secretary Sudhir Krishna, the current programme of allocating buses has new features like sanctioning of bus depots, workshops, control centres, ITS system, etc., to make the project sustainable. According to him, this is a major step to improve urban transport in the country.

The Urban Development Secretary appreciated the efforts made by Karnataka in improving efficiency in the Road Transport sector, especially with respect to buses. He suggested that other states should emulate the high standards set by Karnataka. Mysore has introduced state-of-the-art buses with ITS system, including features like display for stops, CCTV cameras, GPRS, etc. Karnataka plans to introduce highly fuel-efficient buses, which are also environment-friendly.