The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation will be given Rs 500 crore for concretisation of its bus stands, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced on Wednesday.
Speaking at a function here to mark the 75th anniversary of the MSRTC, he said the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) will provide Rs 250 crore to the public transporter to make its bus stands pothole-free in the first phase.
"There will be a complete concretisation of bus stand flooring. Not a single dust particle should be visible," Shinde said, while also stating that MSRTC must provide clean toilets on bus stands.
"There are potholes on bus stands. Water and mud accumulate in potholes and passengers face a lot of trouble," he said.
Shekhar Channe, vice chairman and managing director of MSRTC, told PTI that the corporation has around 580 bus stands across the state and the funds will be used mainly to concretise these stands.
The corporation has already submitted a proposal to the Industries Department, he said.
Chief Minister Shinde, meanwhile, also asked when the MSRTC would become financially self-reliant.
MSRTC depots are located on prime locations and should be developed as "bus ports" on Public Private Partnership basis, he said.
“You should take advantage of your prime locations. It will be beneficial to ST…Does it not feel good when we visit an airport?" Shinde said.
The MSRTC, one of the biggest public transport bodies in the country, has a fleet of around 16,000 buses and a workforce of around 90,000.
-With PTI Input
