Maharashtra transport corporation's profit is proof of Shinde govt's administrative skills: Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant

Uday Samant. File Pic

In a veiled attack on Uddhav Thackeray, the Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on Tuesday said that Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) for years was known to be a loss-making and never-profitable body. However, the Shinde-Fadnavis-Pawar government has shown that miracles can be done if you are out on the field instead of sitting at home.

While addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Shiv Sena Deputy Leader and State Industry Minister Uday Samant said, "In Maharashtra, sometimes the state transport corporation gets financial help from the Maharashtra government. But in the last two to four years due to a lack of proper attention during the Covid-19 pandemic and before that, this corporation was running at a loss. The state transport corporation did not have enough money to even pay the salaries of its employees. But the Shinde-Fadnavis-Pawar government successfully pulled the state transport corporation out of the losses. The Shinde-Fadnavis-Pawar government in the state has shown that bringing the state transport corporation into profit even a loss-making corporation can be transformed into a profit-making corporation."

Uday Samant further said the loss of state transport corporation was increasing during the Uddhav Thackeray government.

The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena claimed that due to the lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic, the state transport corporation faced a loss of Rs 6,300 crore between March 2020 to March 2021.

"The salaries of state transport corporation employees were also exhausted. At that time, the state government had to provide financial assistance for the salaries of the employees. During the previous government, when Ajit Pawar was the finance minister, the government had decided to pay Rs 300 crore per month to the state transport corporation. But, after Eknath Shinde became Chief Minister, in the budget session of March 2023, the Shinde-Fadnavis government announced a decision to provide free travel concession in all types of state transport corporation buses to senior citizens who completed 75 years. For this 100 crores was given to the state transport corporation by the government as compensation," Samant said.

He also said that the government announced a decision to give a 50 per cent discount on ticket fares to women travelling by MSRTC buses. "For this, the corporation was given Rs 180 crore as compensation by the government. All these decisions were historic," Samant said.

The industries minister said that due to these decisions of the Maharashtra government, the state transport corporation is making profits in many districts.

"Among these, Beed district is at the first position, Parbhani district is at the second position and Jalgaon district is at the third position. The state transport corporation has made a profit of Rs 3.5 crore in Beed, Rs 3 crore in Parbhani, and Rs 2.90 crore in Jalgaon. Not only state transport corporation's 18 divisions have benefited but also got modernised ST buses. The Corporation has introduced 150 electric buses, as well as 50 mini-buses each in Satara and Ratnagiri districts, 700 new diesel buses, and 500 leased buses in the last year. Till the end of July 2023, ST has 16,233 buses out of which 9,758 are more than 10 years old," he added.

"Not only the state transport department but when the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was the Public Works minister, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) was at a loss of Rs 6,000 to Rs 7,000 crore. But, after Eknath Shinde became Chief Minister he made this MSRDC into a profitable department by making a profit of Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 crore. This shows that the development of the state is achieved not only by criticizing but by working with the people," Samant said.