Chandigarh: In a significant development aimed at strengthening passenger safety and improving public transport operations, the Union ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) has approved the implementation of an Intelligent Transport System (ITS) for long-route buses operated by the Chandigarh administration.The project, costing Rs 22.71 crore, will be funded jointly by the Centre and the UT administration. Of the total cost, the central govt will contribute Rs 15.89 crore, amounting to 70% of the project expenditure. The remaining share will be borne by the Chandigarh administration.According to officials, the Centre will release the sanctioned amount in three instalments — 50%, 40% and 10%, with specific conditions attached to each phase to ensure transparency and proper utilisation of funds. These riders have been placed to ensure that the transport department adheres strictly to financial regulations while executing the project.The approved ITS package for Chandigarh’s long-route buses includes several critical technology components: Automatic vehicle location system (AVLS), automatic fare collection system, transit management centre, depot management centre, and a grievance redress mechanism system. By integrating these systems, the UT transport department will be able to maintain real-time monitoring of its fleet, streamline operations, and enhance commuter safety. The ministry’s formal communication to the Chandigarh administration outlines the funding pattern and conditions in detail. The letter states: “The funds shall be released to CTU in a manner where 50% of MoRTH contribution shall be released in advance after signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CTU, 40% of MoRTH contribution shall be released after receipt of utilisation certificate and interim progress report, and the remaining 10% of MoRTH contribution shall be released after submission of completion report along with utilisation certificate for the sanctioned amount.“Since the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) has already signed the MoU required for the project, MoRTH has approved the release of the first instalment. The letter further states: “Now, since CTU signed the requisite MoU, the sanction of the Competent Authority is conveyed to release an amount of Rs 7.948 crore (Rs seven crore ninety four lakh eighty thousand only) during the year 2025-26 towards the first instalment for implementation of the above project.“The ministry has also listed several conditions to be followed during project execution. It has mandated that CTU must have a long-term software contract, and that only 50% of the cost of the NCMC card (open loop system) will be provided through central funds, with the remaining recovered by the state transport undertaking (STU) from users. An independent third-party audit must be carried out after commissioning of the system. The UT transport department has been authorised to allow CTU to incur expenditure from the MoRTH funds deposited in CTU’s sub-agency account. CTU must also submit utilisation certificates as per the general financial rules (GFR) 2017, along with progress reports, to receive subsequent instalments of the grant.Officials said that the ITS project is expected to modernise CTU’s long-route services through enhanced tracking, efficient fare management, centralised monitoring and improved grievance handling. This, they added, will bring long-route bus operations in line with national transport modernisation standards.BoxAs per records of the Chandigarh administration, CTU has around 220 long-route buses in its fleet. These long-route buses ply to many states of the country on a daily basis through multiple routes from both INBT, Sector 17, and ISBT, Sector 43. The time schedule and routes are decided by the CTU as per the requirements of passengers and its monitoring system.Box: Financial aspects of the project—Total cost: Rs 22.7 crore —MoRTH share: 70%, which is Rs 15.89 crore —3 phases of MoRTH grant: 50%, 40% and 10% —UT to bear remaining cost on its own—CTU will submit utilisation certificate as per general financial rules 2017 Box: Key features of ITS—Automatic vehicle location system (AVLS)—Automatic fare collection system—Transit management centre—Depot management centre—Grievance redress mechanism system MSID:: 128681107 413 |
