Getting a boost in terms of connectivity, the state transport department has been allocated Rs 2273.29 crore in the state Budget declared today. The department was allocated Rs 2187.99 crore in the last state Budget.

As pointed out in the Budget specification, the department has been able to collect Rs 3138.52 crore, including those from the Suvidha Portal as revenue up to December last year.

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One of the major gainers of the state Budget was the state government’s flagship programme called Pathasree. The state government is said to have constructed more than 37,000 km of rural roads so far, utilising state’s own resources. Emphasising rural connectivity, the government has allocated Rs 1,500 crore for this project. Another underlining project of the department is the West Bengal Inland Water Transport under which the state government is said to have completed 28 jetties, 20 cross ferries, two longitudinal route vessels and smart gates at 44 locations under the first phase of the project. As learnt, the second phase of the project was started recently for which 16 have been identified.

Also, contracts for construction of 13 electric vessels have been signed while Smart Gate Area Development is to be taken up by the transport department at 38 additional locations. Apart from this, 13 construction projects of gangway-cum-pantoon jetties under the ‘Gatishakti’ scheme, along with four RO-RO jetties, eight concrete jetties are said to have been completed. The department has also procured 83 diesel buses and four interceptor vehicles as a part of road safety initiatives.

Notably, ‘Yatri Sathi,’ the online app cab service was primarily introduced to keep the decreasing number of yellow taxis afloat and to provide financial relief to the partner drivers. According to the Budget data available, around 68.46 lakh commuters have availed the Yatri Sathi services, while 599 bike taxis were given registration by the department till 31 December 2024.