AIADMK to be blamed for less number of buses, says Sivasankar

CHENNAI: Transport Minister SS Sivasankar on Wednesday blamed the previous AIADMK regime for shortages of buses and workers faced by the State Transport undertakings.

Replying to the debate on the demand for grants for the Transport and Motor Vehicle Acts - Administration department in the assembly, he said that AIADMK which was in power between 2011 and 2021 had failed to procure adequate buses to replace the aged fleet.

"During the previous DMK government in 2006-11, it had procured 15,005 buses in five years. While the AIADMK regime in 2011-21 had brought only 14,489 buses. Hence the number of buses operated by the STUs has gone down, " he said, adding that the previous AIADMK government also failed to recruit an adequate number of persons. "In the AIADMK period, only 38,599 persons were appointed in the transport corporation while 48,898 persons were recruited in the DMK 2006-11," he said.

He was responding to AIADMK legislators G Arunkumar (Kavundampalayam) and M Chakarapani (Villupuram) who questioned less number of buses being operated causing inconvenience to the passengers and also shortages of drivers.

Minister said that 1000 refurbished old buses would be operated in the coming months. "The tenders for the procurement of the new buses were challenged in the high court by the disabled rights activists. We have invited tender for procuring 440 low floor buses which are disabled friendly. The tender would be opened and order would be placed in a month," he said.

On MDMK MLA Sathan Thirumalaikumar's demand for reducing the retirement age to 58 for the transport corporation workers, he said that he also received demands from the workers to reduce the retirement age. "We will take it up with the chief minister and a decision would be taken soon," he added.

On the operation of private buses in Chennai, he said that under the Chennai City Partnership programme supported by the WB, the private buses would be operated on the MTC routes. "Under the gross cost contract, the buses and the drivers would belong to the private, while the conductor and route would from the corporation. After the expiry of the contract, the corporation buses can be operated on the route. It is nothing to do with privatisation as several other states adopted the same," he said.