UNB, Dhaka :The government has taken an initiative to strengthen the fleet of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) procuring 600 single and double-decker buses under the Indian $ 2 billion 2nd Line of Credit (LoC) to provide better passenger services.The state-run corporation under the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry will implement the buses by June 2018 under a project titled ‘Procurement of double decker, single decker AC and Non AC buses for BRTC’ involving Tk 580.87 crore. Talking to UNB, a Planning Commission official said a Pre-Evaluation Committee (PEC) meeting on the proposed project was recently held with Physical Infrastructure Division member of the Planning Commission Khorshed Alam Chowdhury in the chair.Of the total project cost, the official said, the government will provide Tk 146.55 crore while the rest of Tk 434.32 crore will come from the Indian government as project assistance under its 2nd LoC.Under the proposed project, some 300 double-decker buses will be procured alongside procuring 100 single decker AC city buses, 100 single decker AC intercity buses and 100 single decker non-AC buses.Another official at the BRTC told the news agency that it is essential to strengthen the mass transport in the capital to assuage public sufferings. The BRTC had taken various initiatives in the past to raise the number of its passenger buses to meet the growing demand for public transport, but it could not cope with the demand for vehicles. Under the present circumstances, the official said, the BRTC has formulated this draft project and sent it to the Planning Commission for its consideration.From 2009-2015, the BRTC procured 958 vehicles, including 275 from China, 225 from South Korea, 428 from India under various credit agreements. Some 733 of the vehicles are in operation while 192 inoperative.Another official at the Ministry of Planning said the PEC meeting decided to incorporate a feasibility study report with the final Development Project Proposal (DPP) for placing it before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) for its consideration.
