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Time of India
12-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
85 if not 100: e-bus plan in limbo, UT ready to settle for less
1 2 Chandigarh: Facing the imminent phasing out of 100 diesel buses and struggling to get 100 e-buses as their replacements for more than a year, the Chandigarh administration will now send a fresh proposal for procuring 85 new e-buses to the central govt. A UT official said the Transport Department would again prepare a detailed proposal and submit it to the Ministry of Home Affairs. Recently, the officers of the Transport Department also went to Delhi and held a meeting regarding the purchase of buses. "Under the current circumstances, the administration will float fresh tenders on its own. The terms and conditions will be the same as those set by the central govt. The tender will be floated after approval from the competent authority. From the start of the tendering process to the delivery of buses, it will take at least six months," said a UT official. The urgency for procuring the buses stems from the fact that out of the 358 diesel buses, 100 will complete their 15-year service limit by November this year, and these will have to be phased out. The CTU is the mainstay of the public transport system in the tricity, with Mohali having no tricity bus service available and Panchkula having a very limited local bus service. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Clean Warehouses = Safe Workplaces SearchMore Learn More Undo If these 100 buses are taken off the road, there would be a consequent reduction in bus services within the tricity. The process to replace these 100 diesel buses with e-buses started a couple of years ago. "The buses were being purchased under a central govt scheme, and even the tendering process was completed last year. But since then, litigation plagued the execution of the tender. Even if the tender materialises now, we are still unlikely to get the 100 buses before November," said the official. The new 100 e-buses were to be ultra-low entry (ULE) vehicles of 12m length. The existing e-buses with CTU are 9m long and of low entry. The 100 buses were being availed under the 'PM e-Bus Sewa' scheme. Earlier, e-buses were availed under phase II of the FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles) India Scheme of the central govt. In the tendering process for the new e-buses, which concluded in March 2024, the lowest bid was Rs 61.8 per km. MSID:: 121784767 413 | Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Mint
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Mint
Meet Sabina Kumari: Daily-wager's daughter, who pedals her way to three medals at Khelo India Youth Games 2025
Sabina Kumari started out on a modest track in Jharkhand's Chatra district, far from the glitz of an indoor velodrome. On May 9, 2025, the 18-year-old, daughter of a daily-wage worker and a housewife, bagged three medals in cycling at the Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) on debut. Sabina won double gold in the girls Keirin and Team Sprint events respectively, as well as a bronze in the 200m Sprint. 'This was my first Khelo India Youth Games and I'm very happy with my performance and the three medals. Among them, the individual Keirin was my best,' said the visibly elated National Centre of Excellence trainee. Sabina's story is one of quiet determination, focus and hard work. 'I have always been focused and have worked hard. There are many girls in rural places who want to do something in life but don't find the opportunity. I want to tell them – working hard. Chase what you want, whether it's in sports or anything else,' said Sabina, a Khelo India Athlete (KIA). Sabina's entry into sports was accidental. 'I didn't even know about sports then. My father filled out a form in 2017 under the Central Coalfields Ltd programme of the Jharkhand Government. He just wanted me to do well in life in terms of survival and education. That small act changed my life,' Sabina said. She was just 12 years old when she took to Cycling at the Jharkhand State Sports Promotion Society (JSPS) Academy in Ranchi. Sabina soon came under the wings of cycling coach Ram Kapoor Bhatt. Impressed by her instincts and agility, Ram Kapoor Bhatt, a multiple medalist in cycling at the 2011 National Games, encouraged Sabina to try out sprint. 'I was 13 in 2018 when I started training under Ram sir and I never looked back,' Sabina said. By 2021, her steady improvement led to a breakthrough — a gold and bronze at her first national championship in Jaipur. "That was when I started believing that I could go far.' With her mother managing home and her father working daily-wage jobs to make ends meet, the thought of pursuing a sporting career seemed improbable. But with continuous support from Khelo India Scheme, Sabina has found an avenue to express herself. 'The Khelo India Scheme is the reason I am what I am today,' she said. In 2024, she won her first international medal as part of the Indian team that claimed sprint gold at the Asian Championships in Delhi. Sabina is also part of the SAI National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) Indira Gandhi Stadium, training under French cycling legend Kevin Sireau and further honing her technical edge. 'He is a very good guide. My aim now is to represent India at the Olympics.' Now completing her 12th-standard studies via self-learning, Sabina balances academics with intense training. She remains grateful of her roots and coach Ram Bhatt. 'There's been so much development in cycling in Jharkhand. Around 25–30 kids are training under Ram Sir now. He wants all of us to go forward. I am so grateful to have found him at the right time,' she said.
