Sarnaik Vows To Revive MSRTC, Targets Profit Within Two Years

24 Oct 2025 CW Team

“Within the next two years, I will surely turn around the MSRTC and bring it to profit,” Sarnaik said, stressing his commitment to accountability and structural reforms. “The MSRTC and the transport department were neglected in the past, but since I’ve taken charge, we’ve introduced radical positive changes in their functioning,” he added.

According to a white paper released in June, the corporation’s accumulated losses surged to Rs 103.24 billion in 2023–24 from Rs 46.03 billion in 2018–19. The MSRTC has recorded profits in only eight of the past 45 financial years. Established in 1948, the MSRTC operates India’s largest bus fleet with over 15,000 buses, serving more than 5.5 million commuters daily.

Often regarded as the lifeline of Maharashtra, the MSRTC plays a vital role in connecting over 90 per cent of the state’s villages with their respective district headquarters. It also links rural areas with major urban centres such as Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Solapur, and Kolhapur.

Sarnaik, who represents Thane in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, also addressed the worsening traffic congestion along the Mumbai–Ahmedabad National Highway, particularly in Thane and Palghar districts. He attributed the gridlocks to heavy truck movement serving warehouses in Bhiwandi. “More than a dozen trucks are loaded and unloaded daily in Bhiwandi godowns, which has severely affected traffic in and around Thane,” he explained.

Earlier this week, the highway witnessed a massive traffic jam, leaving over 500 students and commuters stranded for nearly 12 hours.

Separately, Sarnaik announced a welfare initiative to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 75th birthday. As part of the programme, 75,000 Diwali kits containing food grains, oil, and festive essentials are being distributed to families in his Ovla–Majiwada constituency. “We have already distributed around 21,000 kits,” he said.

Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has pledged to bring the financially struggling Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) back to profitability within two years. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday night, Sarnaik expressed firm confidence in his reform plans for the state-run transport body, which has been incurring losses for decades. “Within the next two years, I will surely turn around the MSRTC and bring it to profit,” Sarnaik said, stressing his commitment to accountability and structural reforms. “The MSRTC and the transport department were neglected in the past, but since I’ve taken charge, we’ve introduced radical positive changes in their functioning,” he added. According to a white paper released in June, the corporation’s accumulated losses surged to Rs 103.24 billion in 2023–24 from Rs 46.03 billion in 2018–19. The MSRTC has recorded profits in only eight of the past 45 financial years. Established in 1948, the MSRTC operates India’s largest bus fleet with over 15,000 buses, serving more than 5.5 million commuters daily. Often regarded as the lifeline of Maharashtra, the MSRTC plays a vital role in connecting over 90 per cent of the state’s villages with their respective district headquarters. It also links rural areas with major urban centres such as Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Solapur, and Kolhapur. Sarnaik, who represents Thane in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, also addressed the worsening traffic congestion along the Mumbai–Ahmedabad National Highway, particularly in Thane and Palghar districts. He attributed the gridlocks to heavy truck movement serving warehouses in Bhiwandi. “More than a dozen trucks are loaded and unloaded daily in Bhiwandi godowns, which has severely affected traffic in and around Thane,” he explained. Earlier this week, the highway witnessed a massive traffic jam, leaving over 500 students and commuters stranded for nearly 12 hours. Separately, Sarnaik announced a welfare initiative to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 75th birthday. As part of the programme, 75,000 Diwali kits containing food grains, oil, and festive essentials are being distributed to families in his Ovla–Majiwada constituency. “We have already distributed around 21,000 kits,” he said.

Infrastructure Urban

02 Jun 2026

VECV Sales Rise 7.8 Per Cent In May 2026

VE Commercial Vehicles recorded sales of 7,978 units in May 2026, compared to 7,401 units in May 2025, registering growth of 7.8 per cent. This included 7,789 units from the Eicher brand and 189 units from the Volvo brand.Eicher branded trucks and buses reported sales of 7,789 units during the month, up 7.3 per cent from 7,258 units a year earlier. In the domestic commercial vehicle market, Eicher sales rose 9.1 per cent to 7,375 units from 6,758 units in May 2025.Exports declined 17.2 per cent to 414 units from 500 units in the corresponding month last year. Volvo Trucks and Volvo Buses recor..

Infrastructure Urban

02 Jun 2026

Table Space Strengthens DESYN Leadership Team

Table Space has announced strategic leadership appointments within DESYN, its integrated Design and Build business, as it looks to strengthen operations across key enterprise and GCC markets in India. DESYN was launched as a strategic extension of Table Space’s workspace solutions portfolio to meet rising demand for agile, high-quality and rapidly deployable enterprise workspaces.Shruti Ookabhoy has joined DESYN as Executive Director and will lead the Design vertical, focusing on design capability, operational excellence and team development across markets. She brings over 22 years of experi..

Infrastructure Transport

02 Jun 2026

Concord Associate Bags Rs 2.79 Bn Kavach Order

Concord Control Systems said its associate company, Progota India, has received a Rs 2.79 bn domestic order from Indian Railways for the supply, installation, testing and commissioning of on-board Kavach 4.0 loco equipment.The order is scheduled for execution within 12 months and strengthens Concord’s role in India’s railway safety and signalling ecosystem. Kavach is India’s indigenous automatic train protection system, designed to improve operational safety by helping prevent signal passing at danger and reducing collision risks.Gaurav Lath, Joint Managing Director, Concord Control Syst..