Stakeholders want State as a unit, not district, for implementation of free bus ride for women in Andhra Pradesh
While Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has indicated that the district will be considered as a unit for implementing the scheme, key stakeholders, including officials of the A.P. State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC), have expressed concern over the feasibility of the model.
According to sources in the Transport Department, implementation of the scheme at the district level may lead to operational difficulties, besides complications in route monitoring and enforcement of eligibility across inter-district services.
A more unified State-wide implementation, the officials feel, will ensure smoother coordination and reduce the risk of misuse, or logistical bottlenecks.
'Restriction on travel within districts will lead to confusion for women who need to travel across district borders. A uniform policy at the State level will be more inclusive and manageable,' says a senior APSRTC official.
'A final call on the issue will be taken after the Chief Minister returns from Delhi,' says Transport Minister M. Ramprasad Reddy.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Ramprasad Reddy said the government was in the process of procuring 2,000 new buses to augment the existing fleet and support the anticipated surge in passengers once the scheme was launched. 'While the buses may not arrive in time for the rollout, they will be inducted into the fleet in a phased manner,' the Minister said.
Currently, women commuters comprise 35% of the Occupancy Ratio (OR) in the APSRTC buses as against 65% men. 'After rolling out the scheme, the number of women passengers may rise to 65% of the OR,' said the Minister.
From a financial standpoint, the Minister said it would be an annual expenditure of ₹2,000 crore, which was significantly lower than other schemes under the government's Super Six promises.
Mr. Ramprasad Reddy said the new buses would be operated under the Gross Cost Contract (GCC) model, a framework where private operators supply and maintain buses, while the APSRTC would manage operations and collect revenue.
Union fears loss of jobs
However, the GCC model is being opposed by the A.P. Public Transport Department Employees' Unions, whihc fear losing jobs in the future. They have been insisting that the APSRTC operate and maintain the new buses proposed to be included in the fleet.
'Already, 25% of the buses in the fleet are being operated by private firms. This is a growing concern among the workers in the public transport organisation,' said union State president P. Damodar Rao.
He said the existing 11,500 buses in the fleet and 46,000 staff were needed to be augmented before the launch of the scheme. 'The corporation already relies on over 5,000 on-call drivers for its day-to-day operations,' he said, indicating the extent of staff crunch.
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