Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday flagged off 500 new buses for various State-run transport corporations and inaugurated several government schemes and new buildings for various departments, in different locations, through video conference from the Secretariat.
The new buses have been purchased at a cost of ₹154.24 crore. According to an official release, the eight STCs, on an average, transport 1.74 crore commuters daily all over the State. To improve the bus services, the State government had already launched 3,880 buses purchased at a cost of ₹1,660 crore.
Of the 500 new buses, which were launched on Wednesday, 235 buses have been allotted to Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC), 118 buses for State Express Transport Corporation, 18 buses for Villupuram STC, 60 for Salem STC, 16 for Coimbatore STC buses, 25 buses for Kumbakonam STC and Madurai and Tirunelveli corporations 14 buses each.
The Chief Minister inaugurated various schemes, at an estimated cost of ₹122.62 crore, for the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board, the Municipal Administration and the Greater Chennai Corporation, among others.
Bridges in various locations constructed by the Public Works Department in Dindigul, Tiruvannamalai, Erode, Karur, Coimbatore, Pudukkottai, Madurai, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram and Tiruchi districts were also inaugurated by the Chief Minister.