Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu Boosts HRTC’s Green Energy Initiative with Rs. 327 Crore for Electric Buses

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu Boosts HRTC’s Green Energy Initiative with Rs. 327 Crore for Electric Buses

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, while presiding over a meeting of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) today, announced that the State Government would provide all possible assistance to the Corporation to help it recover from financial losses and transform it into a profitable organization.

Highlighting the crucial role of the HRTC, which employs over 12,000 people, the Chief Minister praised its efforts in providing reliable transportation services across the challenging terrains of Himachal Pradesh. He referred to the employees as the backbone of the corporation.

In a significant move towards sustainable transportation, Chief Minister Sukhu revealed plans to transform the HRTC into a ‘Green Transportation System.’ The state has already integrated 110 electric buses and 50 electric taxis into its fleet. With an additional Rs. 327 crore allocated for the purchase of electric buses, the procurement process for 2,000 type-II e-buses is underway. The entire fleet of diesel buses will be gradually replaced by electric buses in a phased manner.

As part of this green initiative, HRTC has commenced the first phase by operating six buses to Ayodhya to facilitate devotees, with plans to expand services as needed. Additionally, HRTC continues to offer services to other religious destinations.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri highlighted the dependable services provided by HRTC, despite the difficult terrain. He also noted the improvement in the timely disbursement of salaries and pensions to HRTC employees and pensioners, who now receive their payments on the first day of each month. This marks a significant improvement from the previous BJP government, where payments were delayed by eight to ten days.

The meeting was also attended by Advisor Infrastructure Anil Kapil, Principal Secretary Transport R.D. Nazeem, Principal Secretary Finance Devesh Kumar, Secretary to the Chief Minister Rakesh Kanwar, Managing Director HRTC Rohan Chand Thakur, and other senior officials.

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