J-K govt proposes procurement of 200 e-buses under PM e-drive scheme: Minister

Jammu, Feb 12: The Jammu and Kashmir Road Transport Corporation has recently proposed the procurement of 200 additional electric buses under the prime minister e-drive scheme, according to a government statement.

The Housing and Urban Development Department is also procuring 100 new e-buses under a separate initiative, following which route planning and deployment decisions will be taken.

In a written reply to a question by BJP MLA Dr Devender Kumar Manyal, Transport Minister Satish Sharma said, “JKRTC has recently proposed procurement of 200 additional electric buses under the PM e-Drive scheme. Upon induction of these buses, the feasibility and requirement for extending electric bus services to these areas in Ramgarh constituency shall be examined.”

At present, dedicated e-bus services from the airport, railway station or bus stand to tourist destinations in the Ramgarh constituency are not available due to limited fleet strength and infrastructure constraints, he said.

The extension of such services will be considered after the induction of additional e-buses under the ongoing procurement schemes and assessment of operational feasibility, he added.

The government said that owing to the limited fleet strength, JKRTC is presently unable to extend electric bus services beyond essential urban routes in Jammu.

In another written reply to a question by BJP MLA Ranbir Singh Pathania, the Transport Minister Satish Sharma said that there has been an improvement in the financial status of JKRTC.

Responding to concerns regarding the operational and financial health of the corporation, the minister said that prior to 2020-21, the corporation was operating at a loss, but its financial position has improved from 2021-22 onwards.

According to official figures, JKRTC posted a deficit of Rs 15.55 crore in 2021-22, but recorded a surplus of Rs 12.27 crore in 2022-23, Rs 22.54 crore in 2023-24 and Rs 70.04 crore in 2024-25.

Total revenue increased from Rs 114.96 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 243.06 crore in 2024-25, while government support reduced over the years.

The corporation has cleared gratuity and leave salary dues amounting to Rs 80.74 crore from its own resources since 2021-22. A balance liability of Rs 12.20 crore towards retirement benefits remains and will be cleared shortly, the minister said.

He further said that cumulative budgetary support of Rs 788.92 crore has been provided to JKRTC. Against this, Rs 2,014.70 crore, including Rs 1,225.15 crore towards interest, is payable to the government, and a proposal seeking waiver of the amount is being submitted, he said.

To improve financial sustainability, he said that JKRTC has initiated asset monetisation under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode by identifying six land parcels in Srinagar and Jammu.

“Two underutilised parcels at Pampore and Nagrota are being developed for Automated Testing Stations (ATS) under PPP, expected to generate around Rs 3 crore annually,” he said.

On the promotion of electric vehicles (EVs), the House was informed by the minister that an EV policy is under active consideration by the Transport Department. Meanwhile, the Housing and Urban Development Department has procured 200 electric buses for the capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar during the last two years to promote clean mobility.

Regarding fuel entitlement norms, he said fuel is being provided to JKRTC staff vehicles as per actual mileage covered.

On the installation of GPS-based control systems, Sharma said that the Housing and Urban Development Department has installed GPS tracking systems in its field vehicles and integrated e-buses with the Intelligent Command and Control Centre for real-time monitoring and prevention of misuse.

He said that all buses and trucks of JKRTC are equipped with GPS tracking devices, except staff vehicles. “The State Motor Garages Department has taken up the matter with the National Informatics Centre (NIC) for preparation of a detailed project report (DPR) for implementing a GPS-based control system,” he said.

The minister also said that implementation of an Intelligent Transport Management System (ITMS) has been initiated to enable real-time vehicle tracking, improve fleet utilisation, strengthen revenue monitoring and enhance passenger safety.

Due to the operation of an over-aged fleet, vehicles required frequent repairs, he said, adding that 237 vehicles were auctioned in 2024-25 and another 236 vehicles have been identified for auction in 2026-27. Fleet augmentation is underway to restore routes and improve revenue generation, he added.