HRTC suffered Rs 50 crore loss due to pandemic

Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 25

The Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) suffered losses amounting to Rs 450 crore during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the buses are still not plying on 46 per cent of the total 3,708 routes, said Transport Minister Bikram Singh.

Addressing mediapersons here today, he said the HRTC buses were still not plying on 1,724 routes. However, the state government provided a financial assistance of Rs 353 crore and salaries of the HRTC employees are being paid on time, he said.

The Transport Minister said the bus service was functional on 1,984 routes, including 1,713 in the state and 271 outside the state, and 59 buses were plying to Chandigarh, 24 to Delhi and 11 to Haridwar.

He said the sitting capacity in buses had been reduced to 50 per cent amid the pandemic, due to which private bus operators were facing losses. He said the issue would be resolved when the number of Covid-19 cases goes down. The process to recruit 491 drivers would be started soon, he added.

The minister said the construction of six bus stands had been completed and they would be inaugurated soon.