500 HRTC buses, most of them diesel-operated, to be phased out in next two months: Agnihotri

Responding to queries on the Chief Minister’s recent remarks regarding reforms in HRTC, the Deputy Chief Minister said the corporation had 74 Class-I and Class-II officers and only about one per cent of its expenditure went towards officers’ salaries. He said six out of 11 districts still did not have Regional Management Centres (RMCs) and efforts were underway to streamline the functioning of the corporation. He added that 357 conductors had been recruited through the commission.

Agnihotri said 17 newly procured buses were currently stranded due to battery-related issues, noting that each battery cost around Rs 24 lakh and the problem stemmed from clauses signed several years ago. He also flagged delays in the construction of new bus stands at Badheri, Shahpur, Chamba and Jaisinghpur, while alleging that a private company had delayed the Dharamshala bus stand project and was charging entry fees from HRTC buses, which the government had refused to pay.

The Deputy CM said 20 per cent of HRTC shops would be allotted to unemployed youth, space would be offered to big brands at HRTC facilities, and staying facilities at bus stands would be outsourced to unemployed youth. He announced annual appreciation awards for HRTC employees, gratuity for deceased employees, and an increase in daily allowances. He said the state had approached the court against the Centre’s Rs 3 lakh deposit requirement for Volvo bus operations and added that a Directorate of Recruitment had been established at the state secretariat.

‘Do site inspections instead of remaining confined to offices’

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri Friday chaired the first meeting of the Water Resources Department’s Screening Committee for the financial year 2025–26 here. During the meeting, he reviewed various departmental schemes and development works and took stock of the progress of ongoing water supply and irrigation projects across Himachal Pradesh.

The Deputy Chief Minister directed the officers to expedite all works and ensure their completion in a time-bound manner. He said the primary objective of the department’s schemes was to provide clean drinking water to every citizen of the state and to strengthen irrigation facilities for farmers.

Emphasising field-level monitoring, Agnihotri asked officers to conduct regular site inspections instead of remaining confined to offices, and to ensure that issues are resolved on the ground.

Principal Secretary (Law) Rajeev Bali, Secretary Rakhil Kahlon, Additional Controller Stores Manoj Kumar, Special Secretary (Finance) Vijay Vardhan, GM HP Civil Supply Arvind Sharma and senior officers of the Water Resources Department were present at the meeting.