NMC’s Rs12cr Dues Trigger Aapli Bus Strike Nagpur: A financial crisis within the Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) transport department plunged the city’s public transport system into chaos on Wednesday as approximately 1,800 conductors affiliated with the Aapli Bus service launched a sudden strike over delayed salaries. The protest, which occurred during peak morning hours, left thousands of commuters stranded and exposed the deepening financial strain on the city’s public transport network. Officials acknowledged that NMC had not released nearly Rs12 crore owed to Chalo Mobility Private Limited (CMPL), the Integrated Bus Transport Management (IBTM) operator responsible for managing conductors. The delayed payment led to salary arrears, sparking the unrest. Of the 690 buses scheduled to operate, only 75 from the Koradi depot were initially withdrawn. While drivers and conductors reported for duty, the conductors refused to board buses after learning their salaries had not been credited. Typically, salaries are disbursed by the 7th of every month. After being informed of the situation, CMPL alerted NMC and used its own funds to pay all conductors by around 9:30 am, allowing services to gradually resume. However, the protest resurfaced later as conductors and drivers pressed for unresolved demands, including House Rent Allowance (HRA), a 26-day duty roster, payment of pending privilege leave encashment, and the deployment of additional conductors to ease workloads. The disruption was further exacerbated by the official Aapli Bus mobile application, which continued to display buses as operating normally and showed live arrival times despite widespread cancellations. Hundreds of commuters waited at bus stops unaware of the service disruptions.#nagpur_municipal_corporation #nmc #aapli_bus #chalo_mobility_private_limited #integrated_bus_transport_management
NMC Transport Department Faces Scrutiny Over Enhanced Chalo Payments, Audit Proposed The Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) Transport Department has come under scrutiny for allegedly increasing payments to Chalo Mobility Private Limited (CMPL) under its five-year Aapli Bus contract without obtaining mandatory approval from the competent authority. Official documents reveal that NMC issued a work order to the Mumbai-based company on March 11, 2024, and finalized the agreement on July 11, 2024, appointing it as the Integrated Bus Transport Management (IBTM) operator. The 60-month contract, valued at Rs216.30 crore, includes Rs113.40 crore for service charges related to conductors and Rs102.90 crore for consultancy. Sources allege that the Transport Department revised the service charges without administrative sanction, raising the monthly payout from approximately Rs1.88 crore to nearly Rs3.26 crore. The consultancy component is structured as 60% fixed charges and 40% performance-linked payments, with the variable portion contingent on evaluating three metrics: Earnings Per Kilometre (EPKM) (15%), passenger count (15%), and digital ridership (10%). However, officials claim the higher expenditure was necessitated by operational demands. Since the agreement took effect, the Aapli Bus fleet expanded from around 500 buses to nearly 730, significantly increasing the number of conductors deployed. A revision in conductor wages also contributed to the rise in service costs. While the civic administration asserts that operational changes may justify adjustments to the project cost, it emphasizes that any increase in the approved contract value requires prior approval from the competent authority.#nagpur_municipal_corporation #municipal_commissioner_vipin_itankar #nmc_transport_department #aapli_bus #chalo_mobility_private_limited
