Hyderabad: Transport and BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said the Mahalakshmi free bus travel scheme for women was being implemented effectively across Telangana. As a result, RTC ridership had increased significantly.
On Thursday, Ponnam Prabhakar, Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao and Minister Adluri Laxman Kumar laid the foundation stone for the modernisation of the Tippapur Bus Station in Vemulawada.
They also flagged off a new express bus service connecting Vemulawada and Basara via Korutla. The Minister said the government fulfilled its promise by launching the Mahalakshmi scheme within 48 hours of assuming office.
Mahalakshmi free bus travel increases RTC usage
Ponnam Prabhakar said women’s free travel had substantially increased passenger traffic in Telangana RTC. Therefore, the government had started purchasing new buses and recruiting additional staff.
He said the Vemulawada Bus Station, built in 1984, would be modernised at a cost of ₹1.62 crore. Meanwhile, nearly 250 buses operated 560 trips daily to and from Vemulawada, popularly known as Dakshina Kashi.
Around 50,000 passengers used the bus station every day. The Minister said the government had introduced the new Basara express service via Korutla. Earlier, it had also launched a bus service to Mumbai.
Moreover, Ponnam Prabhakar said Telangana RTC had returned to profitability after earlier financial losses. He added that the government was implementing commitments made to RTC employees in phases.
He said women had completed 334.11 crore free journeys under the Mahalakshmi scheme. As a result, they had saved an estimated ₹11,668 crore in travel expenses. In addition, the government had purchased 2,600 new buses.
It was also upgrading bus stations across the State with an investment of nearly ₹100 crore. Further, the government had cleared nearly ₹1,000 crore in employees’ provident fund dues and ₹600 crore in CCS arrears.
Mahalakshmi free bus travel complements infrastructure
Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao said the government was modernising bus stations while improving infrastructure in major temple towns across Telangana. He also described Telangana RTC as the country’s largest public transport corporation to successfully provide free bus travel for women.
Meanwhile, he urged farmers to use the recent rainfall and focus on cultivating rainfed crops. Minister Adluri Laxman Kumar said development works at the Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy Temple in Vemulawada were progressing as promised by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy.
He also welcomed the launch of the bus station modernisation project. Government Whip and Vemulawada MLA Adi Srinivas thanked the Transport Minister for sanctioning ₹1.62 crore for the bus station upgrade.
He said the modernised facility would benefit lakhs of devotees visiting the temple every year. Finally, he said development works worth ₹249.40 crore were underway for the Raja Rajeshwara Swamy Temple under the Chief Minister’s leadership.