Date:28/06/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/06/28/stories/2009062852430400.htm

Tamil Nadu

Transport Corporation to buy 3,000 buses this year

Special Correspondent

Air-conditioned service between Villupuram, Chennai shortly

VILLUPURAM: The State Transport Corporation will purchase 3,000 buses this year at a cost of Rs.500 crore. Of these, 350 will be allotted to the Villupuram division, said K.N.Nehru, Transport Minister, who visited the Villupuram bus depot on Friday to inaugurate a water treatment system and hand over promotion orders to 88 employees.

He gave promotion orders to 24 drivers, who have been made driving instructors, 39 conductors who have been promoted as checking inspectors and 15 senior assistants who have been upgraded superintendents and senior technicians.

He felicitated 10 drivers who had demonstrated fuel efficiency skills.

The Minister said till now, the corporation used to buy the chassis and later go for body-building through tender. Now, Ashok Leyland had come forward to build the body, too.

Appreciating the performance of the Villupuram division, the Minister said an air-conditioned Volvo bus service would be operated between Villupuram and Chennai shortly. Hereafter, the local divisions would be empowered to decide on running new buses on long routes.

The Minister said that in the past three years, the corporation had given jobs to 39,900 persons. A committee had been constituted for deciding the workload and fixing the seniority of employees.

The Minister also inaugurated the water treatment systems installed at a total cost of Rs.30 lakh in Villupuram, Vadalur, Panruti, Vriddhachalam, Sankarapuram, Thirkkoilur, Ponneri, Tiruvannamalai, Thenimalai, Orikkai, Mamandur and Kalpakkam depots.

Collector in-charge C. Kathirvan, Managing Director of Transport Corporation C. Paramasivam, General Manager M. Palanisamy and Adhi Sankar, MP, participated.