AGARTALA, Oct 14 � The Tripura Government has launched a CNG town bus service here under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
Initially, 38 buses were handed over to operators under the Urban Transport Corporation in seven city routes and later 37 more buses would be given in the next few months, Transport Minister Manik Dey said recently.
The Central Government has paid 90 per cent of the cost of the buses while the rest is being born by the State Government.
Two lakh vehicles ply in Tripura, of which 1.5 lakh are private vehicles, officials said adding that due to the lack of public transport facilities, the number of private vehicles were on the rise leading to congestion and pollution.
Meanwhile, leader of the Opposition Ratan Lal Nath expressed concerns whether the State Government would be able to supply CNG to the buses as there is only one CNG filling station in the city.
�When the State Government is unable to provide CNG to 400 auto rickshaws, the decision to run a town bus service would lead to a chaos,� he told reporters. � PTI
