Bangalore Metropolitan Transport record Rs 114 cr profit : Minister

New Delhi, Sept 20 (UNI) At a time when the State Road Transport Corporations in the country, including the Delhi Transport Corporation are struggling against private bus operators and sustaining huge losses, the state owned Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation of Karnataka has set a unique record by registering an unprcedented profit of Rs 114 crore.

The BMTC, which was arm of the KSRTC not long ago making huge losses has turned around the corner and become the first urban transporter to make profit in the world while the KSRTC itself was able to make earn a marginal profit of Rs 25 crore on its rural operations. Two STUs -- North West KRTC (Hubli) and North-East KRTC (Gulbarga) -- however suffered losses of Rs 16 and 25 crores each respectively. All the four STUs together operate around 16,000 buses in the state.

Impressed by the good showing of the KSRTC, Union Surface Transport Minister T R Baalu today asked KSTRC MD to give a presentation about the KSRTC operations at the State Transport Ministers meeting at Shimla, Karnataka Transport Minister Cheluvaraya Swamy said.

The BMTC, had added 50 luxurious Volvo buses to its fleet, each one costing around Rs 75 lakhs, and the commuters were basically who had opted to take a bus ride giving up their four wheelers, he said. ''We propose to introduce 1000 such buses but the manufacturer is not in a position to supply this quantity. We may introduce 250 buses in the first phase,'' he added.

In his memorandum, he said the state sought excise duty reduction on purchase of Volvo buses and an one time grant of Rs 3250 crores to the four STUs during the 11th Plan period. Reduction of duties would help these STUs to carry out their social responsibilities like giving concessions to students, senior citizens and physically handicapped sections of society.

Mr Swamy said Karnataka had also sought the Centre to initiate open border policy for the STU bues in the peninsular region. The state had inter-state agreements with neighbouring states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Goa.

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