The BEST has planned to procure and deploy 2,000 electric buses to the island city
Rs 128 crore was proposed as an additional grant to BEST. File pic
The BMC has once again proposed financial aid for its transport wing, BEST. As per the proposed budget, the undertaking will get Rs 928 crore in assistance. The civic body has allocated Rs 8,570 crore to the BEST since 2019-20. Civic chief I S Chahal said that considering the financial position of the undertaking, a provision of Rs 800 crore was proposed as a grant to meet expenditure related to infrastructure development, purchase capital equipment, repay loans, the wet-leasing of buses, pay revisions, day-to-day expenses, Diwali bonuses, gratuity and other dues of pensioners as well as electricity dues.
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The BEST has planned to procure and deploy 2,000 electric buses to the island city. The cost of this project is Rs 2,573 crore; 70 per cent of the amount, Rs 1,801 crore, will be funded by the World Bank in the form of a loan while 25 per cent, Rs 643 crore, will be provided by the state government. The state government has informed the BMC to fund the remaining five per cent ie Rs 128 crore. Accordingly, a provision of Rs 128 crore was proposed in the budget estimate for 2024-25 as an additional grant to the BEST undertaking.
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