Two years after Punjab’s then deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal floated the idea of running an amphibious bus in State waters, the project has virtually sunk. Executed at a whopping cost of Rs 8.62 crores, it barely earned Rs 70,000 compelling the State Government to announce the auctioning of the bus to recover the cost.
The bus, that was launched by the erstwhile SAD-BJP Government with much fanfare dubbing as Sukhbir’s dream project in 2016 ahead the state elections, ran merely for 10 days.
Announcing the auctioning of the bus, the state Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu pointed that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has also raised big questions on the amphibious bus project, on the baiss if which the auctioning process will be carried out to recover the huge expenditure.
“The bus has earned just about five per cent, that is Rs 70,000, after spending Rs 8.62 crore,” said Sidhu, adding that Sukhbir’s “paani wali” bus did not benefit Punjab, and now, it will be auctioned in Goa or somewhere else.
He said that the reserved price of Sukhbir’s bus will be fixed at Rs four crore, and auction orders for the same has already been issued.
“Now, the bus will be replaced by pedal boats in the Harike Pattan where the amphibious bus system was built. I don’t know what was behind the idea as water bus could not be operated at a place where the migratory birds come in a large number. This shows that Sukhbir launched the project only because of his obstinacy,” said Sidhu.
Accusing Sukhbir of ignoring all rules and procedures, Sidhu pointed that the CAG report has revealed that no feasibility report was prepared before launching the project.
Sidhu said: “Before start of any project, one of the basic tenets is to prepare feasibility study after performing detail survey of the area and after that detailed project report is prepared. Financial viability is necessary for the success of any project as operation and maintenance totally depends on the financial viability.”
“During test check of the record of the office of the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board, it was noticed that proposal for water based tourism through amphibious bus was initiated by Chief General Manager on May 5, 2015. Project was taken up after clearance of the same in the meeting held on August 12, 2015, with Deputy Chief Minister and Rs eight crore for the amphibious bus project was sanctioned on September 10, 2015,” he added.
Sidhu pointed that in the financial implication, it was noted that the project was not self-sustaining and gap funding would be inherent feature of the funding.
He said that the audit check pointed that no feasibility report of the project was found, and the project was approved by the high level committee without going through the pros and cons of the project at their own level.
“The audit further pointed that no detailed project report for the feasibility, maintenance and financial viability was prepared. It added that the project was not viable at any stage as the gap funding was the inherent feature of the project,” he said adding that there was no operation after June 10, 2016.
It was further pointed that even as the operation of the amphibious bus had been stopped, the concessionaire agreement has not yet been cancelled and the non-cancellation of agreement would further result into bonded liability of annual payment of Rs 278.42 lakh from November 2017, to October 2018.