Hyderabad: Transport and BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar here on Saturday laid foundation stone for the construction of a modern bus terminal at Uppal.
The terminal is being constructed at an estimated cost of Rs.3.22 crore with the support of the Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation. The government aims to complete the construction within 100 days, the minister said.
The terminal will have modern passenger amenities, including a dedicated bus pass counter and an information centre. Around 1,053 bus trips are expected to operate from the terminal daily, serving nearly one lakh passengers.
It will improve connectivity for residents of Uppal, Boduppal, Peerzadiguda, Ghatkesar, Malkajgiri and Ramanthapur to Secunderabad, the IT corridor and Patancheru, among other destinations.
The Minister thanked the Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation for allocating funds for the project and said the terminal would be developed with modern facilities and a passenger-friendly environment.
The name of the terminal would be finalised through the appropriate process, he added. Highlighting the government’s free bus travel scheme for women, the minister said around 367 crore women’s journeys had been recorded under the initiative, resulting in estimated savings of Rs.12,888 crore for women.
He said the government was committed to the welfare of RTC employees, improving passenger services and strengthening the transport corporation. The government had been clearing pending dues, including contributions to the Cooperative Credit Society (CCS) and Provident Fund (PF), in phases.
Discussions had also been held with Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on clearing approximately Rs.1,400 crore in retirement-related dues to former RTC employees, and a decision was expected soon.
The minister said the government had purchased more than 3,000 new buses and was working to introduce around 2,200 electric buses in Hyderabad under the PM E-DRIVE scheme. The RTC was also introducing buses on new routes based on passenger demand.
To promote cleaner transport, 250 old diesel buses were being converted through retrofitting. The government had also allocated Rs.200 crore to encourage electric autos in the Cure Area, while offering 100 per cent exemption from road tax and registration fees for electric vehicles, he said.
Prabhakar said the government was taking steps to modernise vehicle fitness testing and driving licence services through Automated Testing Stations, promote road safety and phase out end-of-life vehicles through a scrappage policy.
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