NMC to provide free bus pass to HIV patients

Nagpur: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation is set to provide free bus passes to HIV and AIDS patients to enable them to travel free to the anti-retroviral therapy (ART) centres for medication. NMC transport department’s proposal to this effect will be tabled before the transport committee on July 23. The move may benefit thousands of patients taking treatment in Government Medical College, and Indira Gandhi Medical College.

As per the proposal, NMC will issue free smart card pass — that will be renewable every year — for Red bus service for those who can’t afford to travel to ART centres. The beneficiaries can travel in NMC buses six times a month using the pass.

After sending the list of registered persons to the transport department, the free pass or smart card will be submitted to respective district collector, and district AIDS prevention and control squad, Nagpur. After getting administrative approval for the proposal, the transport committee and NMC will prepare a policy on this.

The transport department has also submitted income and expenditure statements for three months (April-June) of this current fiscal. As per the statement, the department generated Rs16.06 crore through sale of tickets as against expenditure of Rs39.41 crore.

Meanwhile, standing committee chairman Virendra Kukreja on Thursday gave a nod to civic administration’s proposal to procure modular furniture and air-conditioning for the Smart City office to be set up on the seventh floor of NMC’s new administrative building. For both works, NMC will spend over Rs1.50 crore. The panel also gave a nod to health department proposal to pay Rs20.85 lakh to a firm supplying cow dung cakes to NMC crematoriums.

Other proposals cleared include Rs28.95 lakh for construction of a damaged bridge on Ring Road at Kamgar Chowk, Rs39.36 lakh for renovation of Indira Gandhi Hospital in Corporation Colony, Rs51.83 lakh for construction of a nullah on Risaldar Road to Adarsh School, and Rs92.88 lakh for construction of stormwater network in Jogi Nagar Bhim Nagar area.