Public Transport or Civic Asset? ₹11.64 Crore Spent on AMTS Buses for Government Programmes
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has paid ₹11.64 crore towards the use of AMTS buses for transporting people to government programmes attended by the Prime Minister, Union Home Minister and other dignitaries.
The expenditure means the cost of deploying buses for these government events was ultimately borne by the AMC treasury, and therefore public funds.
₹11 Crore Adjusted Against AMTS Loan
AMTS buses have been allocated for transporting citizens to government programmes, for which the corporation was required to pay the bus charges.
AMTS Committee Chairman Parag Naik said that out of the pending amount, ₹11 crore has been paid by the AMC to AMTS. According to him, the corporation provides loans to AMTS every year, and the amount has been adjusted against the repayment of that loan.
Buses Deployed For Events, Regular Routes Affected
AMTS buses were used to transport citizens to government programmes involving the Prime Minister, Union Home Minister and other dignitaries.
However, the deployment of a large number of buses for such programmes reportedly reduced the availability of buses on regular routes on some days.
Complaints were raised that daily commuters had to wait longer for buses and faced difficulties during their journeys as buses were diverted for government programmes.
AMTS Earned Revenue, AMC Paid The Bill
The arrangement has resulted in AMTS receiving revenue for providing buses for government programmes, while the payment for those services was made by the AMC.
The civic body also provides loans to AMTS every year to support its finances. According to Naik, ₹11 crore from the pending bus charges for government programmes has been adjusted against AMTS's loan repayment.
Thus, while AMTS received the benefit of bus-fare revenue, the expenditure was ultimately settled through AMC funds. Meanwhile, concerns have also been raised over reduced bus availability on regular routes during periods when large numbers of AMTS buses were deployed for government events.
