News Brief
Madhya Pradesh Eyes Public Transport System Revival After Nearly Two Decades, Rural Areas To Benefit: Report
Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav
Madhya Pradesh is poised to reintroduce its state road transport system after nearly two decades, primarily to address the needs of rural communities and enhance connectivity across the state, reported IANS.
The state-run transport body was discontinued under the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government of then chief minister Babulal Gaur, owing to mounting financial losses suffered by the Madhya Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation.
Since its closure, a significant void in public transportation has persisted, particularly affecting villages and smaller towns where private operators have been reluctant to provide services on non-profitable routes.
Now, the state government is actively working to restore a structured public transport system.
“A team of officials is working on it and it would come up in any next Cabinet meeting,” a government official was quoted as saying by IANS.
Despite the proliferation of private bus services, their operations are limited to select profitable routes, leaving vast rural areas devoid of affordable public transport.
The revival of state-run transport is expected to boost economic activity in tier-II towns and rural regions, improving access to markets, healthcare facilities, and educational institutions.
Currently, only the cities of Bhopal and Indore benefit from urban bus services, while the rest of the state remains dependent on private operators.
“It is also a matter of equity, for the less privileged have as much entitlement to travel the state’s thoroughfares as those who possess automobiles,” officials added.
The proposal, once finalised, will be presented before the Cabinet for formal approval and implementation.
Various departments, including Transport, Finance, Public Works (PWD), and Rural Development, are currently conducting a detailed study to determine the most viable framework.
Madhya Pradesh, along with Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, stands out as one of the few Indian states without a state-sponsored public road transport network.
To address this, three potential models are under consideration.
The first involves the government fully owning and operating the transport corporation.
The second model suggests that the government own the buses and infrastructure while outsourcing operations to private entities.
The third and most likely option proposes a Viability Gap Funding (VGF) model, wherein private operators would be incentivised to run services on unprofitable routes, ensuring that public transport extends across all districts.
