The Bhopal City link limited (BCll) has decided to rejuvenate itself to strengthen the public transport system by introducing mini buses and e-rickshaws in the city.
Additional CEO of BCll, OP Bharadwaj told ‘The Pioneer’ that the BCll is facing financial crunch. However, he was optimistic that e-rickshaws and mini buses would strengthen the public transport system. It is necessary for the transport system and it would also benefit the people. Around 200 buses would start ply on the roads before January, he added.
When asked about the losses the BCll is facing, Bharadwaj declined to comment. However, factually, it is bearing several loses as the Prasanna Purple, the company which operated the 150 buses, had terminated the contract with the BCll due to low royalty. Another reason of the loss of BCll is the plying of illegal vehicles (without permit).
Notably, Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Chhavi Bharadwaj has directed the BCll officials on November 2 to arrange for 200 buses before December 1 and to construct the modern bus stops. However, only 120 buses are operating in the city.
Even the BCll has also not provided the salaries of its employees since October.
“I am unable to bear the household expenses as the BCll has not provided my salary yet. like me there are other employees who did not get salaries since October,” says a BCll employee.
On the contrary, BCll’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) Sanjay Soni claimed that there is no such issue in the BCll and all the employees are happily working here. All the employees are receiving their salaries on time.”
Notably, BCll had suffered a major loss as the Prasanna Purple had terminated its contract. Prasanna operated around 150 buses according to 2010 contract, which was to run till 2018, but cancelled it by saying it was suffering major losses and could not operate at the same royalty of Rs 6,600 per month anymore. Earlier, three companies were operating buses under the BCll- Prasanna Purple with 150 buses, Capital Operator with 35 buses and Jagdamba Company with 40 buses.
After Prasanna Purple terminated the contract, new tenders have been floated in this regard.
However, the officials say that they have given the contract to the Jagdamba Company and around 110 extra buses would also start plying in few days.
Recently in September, the Bhopal City link ltd (BCll) had stopped bus service on three major routes in the city due to loss giving hard time to commuters. The routes on which the bus service had been stopped are Trunk route 3 (Ayodhya Nagar to Nariyal Kheda), Trunk route 2 (Bus Stand to Mandideep) and Standard route 6 (Trilanga to Oriental College, Anand Nagar). According to a BCll survey, illegal vehicles are plying in some of the busiest areas of Bhopal like Royal Market, Rangmahal, Bittan Market, Chunna Bhatti, Ashoka Garden and Bagh Sewania, which is also the reason of losses suffered by BCll.