CSTC back in black with Rs 5 cr surplus in 6 months

Calcutta State Transport Corporation has reported an operating profit of Rs 5 crore in the last six months between August14-January 15.
Stating this, West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra said the modernisation initiative of the corporation's management has helped it to earn the profit.
Mitra, who was speaking at the unveiling of 54 new buses in 10 AC and non-AC routes, said the plan to utilise the surplus land belonging to the corporation is already in place and would generate cash for the benefit of the CSTC employees and modernisation.
Principal secretary in the transport department Alapan Bandyopadhyay said the government was taking several initiatives to modernise the transport system of the state.

The government was continuously introducing new buses in existing and new routes to improve the bus transport system.
Smart card and GPS are two major projects that had been taken up to enhance passenger service, he added.

Pre-paid smart card will be introduced by June, CSTC managing director Bhishmadeb Dasgupta said.
"Tender had been floated and in the next three weeks contract will be awarded," he said.
Smart card system will be introduced in all the 632 BS-IV buses of CSTC fleet which will be on roads shortly. These would have swiping machines for cashless travel.
Already 398 non-AC and 234 AC buses are plying on the city's roads.

Mitra today flagged off AC buses for various rotes, including two new ones - Garia-Belur, Bally-Salt Lake and stregthend the fleet in Ballygunj-Howrah, Santragachi-Eco-space, Patuli-Howrah and Bantala-Howrah routes. In non-AC route 24 new buses were deployed.
Dasgupta said only six routes of the 27 AC routes and 74 non-AC routes are left to become operational and these would be fulfilled once the remaining 173 buses are delivered, expected to be in this fiscal.