According to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, the cabinet has approved a proposal by alumni of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) to invest INR 700 crore in adding electric buses to Goa’s public transportation system. The head of the government-owned Kadamba Transport Corporation (KTCL), Ulhas Tuenkar, praised the idea and underlined how it may boost the transportation industry.
The cabinet has approved the initiative, according to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, and IIT graduates have promised to contribute INR 700 crore to revive Goa’s public transportation infrastructure. Sawant told PTI that as a major part of this project, the government intends to introduce 500 electric buses.
Tuenkar acknowledged that KTCL’s current fleet, which includes both its own and private buses, is insufficient to meet the growing demand. “This move will help revive KTCL. Discussions on the deployment of the buses are ongoing, and once they are operational, we can reopen non-operational routes and resume interstate services that have been halted due to our aging fleet,” he explained.
In addition to the 54 electric buses from Olectra that started operating three years ago, KTCL currently runs 500 diesel buses, 48 electric buses, and 48 hybrid buses under the Mission Smart City program.