India, June 3 -- Days after expressing concern over an estimated loss of Rs.3,191 crore to the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) in a deal to acquire 5,150 electric buses on lease, transport minister Pratap Sarnaik has asked for a white paper on the state-run bus service's finances to be published. Officials from the state finance and audit department have been asked to submit the white paper by mid-June.

Confirming the development, Sarnaik said that MSRTC's finances have been a point of concern for a few years. "After taking charge as chairman of a corporation, I got some idea of the financial condition. But considering the estimated loss of Rs.3,191 crore in the next few years in the e-bus deal, if we want to operate...