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Tamil Nadu to buy 3,500 new buses in 2008-09
Thursday, 20 March 2008, 19:30 IST
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government would buy 3,500 new buses in 2008-09, Finance Minister K. Anbazhagan said Thursday here.
Presenting his third budget in the state assembly, Anbazhagan said: "The last two years saw the state transport undertakings purchase 5,451 new buses."
Allocating a sum of 
3.30 billion ($81.8 million) for this purpose in the next fiscal, he said: "Another 3,500 new buses will be purchased in the coming financial year."
The government has also allocated 28.16 billion for the road sector.
Anbazhagan said: "This government has been making sufficient financial allocation in the last two years for the development and proper maintenance of roads, recognising them as a vital infrastructure for the economic development of the state."
"As never before, an allocation of 25.09 billion had been provided in 2006-07 and 39.57 billion in the current financial year, and these allocations were utilised to widen, strengthen and re-surface 31,698 km of roads," he added.
According to him, during the last two years 2,380 km of roads were widened into two-lane roads and 343 major and minor bridges have been completed at an outlay of 2.14 billion.
He said during the next fiscal, 16,476 km of roads would be improved, widened and re-laid.
"Another 1,350 km of single roads will be converted into double-lane roads. In addition, works on 254 major and minor bridges will also be completed in this financial year."
He said a sum of 8.55 billion has been allocated for maintenance of roads so that it was possible to re-surface all roads once in five years.
The total allocation for the highways department for next fiscal is 41.79 billion.
Source: IANS
3.30 billion ($81.8 million) for this purpose in the next fiscal, he said: "Another 3,500 new buses will be purchased in the coming financial year."
The government has also allocated 28.16 billion for the road sector.
Anbazhagan said: "This government has been making sufficient financial allocation in the last two years for the development and proper maintenance of roads, recognising them as a vital infrastructure for the economic development of the state."
"As never before, an allocation of 25.09 billion had been provided in 2006-07 and 39.57 billion in the current financial year, and these allocations were utilised to widen, strengthen and re-surface 31,698 km of roads," he added.
According to him, during the last two years 2,380 km of roads were widened into two-lane roads and 343 major and minor bridges have been completed at an outlay of 2.14 billion.
He said during the next fiscal, 16,476 km of roads would be improved, widened and re-laid.
"Another 1,350 km of single roads will be converted into double-lane roads. In addition, works on 254 major and minor bridges will also be completed in this financial year."
He said a sum of 8.55 billion has been allocated for maintenance of roads so that it was possible to re-surface all roads once in five years.
The total allocation for the highways department for next fiscal is 41.79 billion.
Source: IANS