Patiala, Nov. 30 -- Terming it a viable model, the Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) is set to hire nearly 105 buses under the controversial 'Kilometre Scheme' despite an ongoing employees' protest against the scheme. The PRTC is learnt to be going ahead with opening the tender for hiring 105 to 250 ordinary buses on December 2. Confirming the development, PRTC managing director Bikramjit Singh Shergill said, "We will be opening the tender on December 2, after a delay of several months owing to the protest by contractual employees." Introduced in 1998 in Punjab, the scheme allows PRTC to hire private operators on a per-kilometre basis, similar to an outsourced taxi service. Under the scheme, a private operator purchases a new bus and runs it under the PRTC banner. The cost of the new vehicle, the driver's salary and the vehicle's maintenance are borne entirely by the private operator. In return, PRTC pays a fixed per-kilometre charge. Diesel is provided by PRTC, routes are allotted by the corporation, and the conductor is also deputed by PRTC.PRTC officials explained that buses hired under the scheme would typically operate for around six years, though the term may be extendeddepending on condition and performance. Contractual employees strongly oppose the scheme, arguing that it reduces employment opportunities since drivers for Kilometre Scheme buses are employed by private contractors rather than PRTC. They also allege that the government is deliberately avoiding the purchase of new buses for its own fleet, thereby weakening the public transport system. According to the protesting employees, the move is a tacit step toward privatisation. Defending the scheme, Shergill said it is financially viable because the PRTC does not have to make any upfront investment, and the per-kilometre operating cost is lower than that of the corporation's own buses. "For ordinary buses, we save around Rs.7 to Rs.8 per kilometre compared to our own fleet. For HVAC or integral coaches, the savings are Rs.4 to Rs.5 per kilometre," he said. He added that 77 of the 219 buses currently operating under the Kilometre Scheme are running at Rs.9.37 per kilometre, while the remaining buses operate at Rs.6.35 per kilometre. At present, PRTC is running 219 kilometre-scheme buses out of the total fleet of 1,188 vehicles. "We are operating only 18% of our buses under the Kilometre Scheme, as of now, while other neighbouring states are running around 25 to 30% of their fleets under similar models," said Shergill. Asked about the allegations of corruption involving private operators, Shergill dismissed the concerns. "We provide the diesel and set a fixed kilometre average for payment. The conductor is a PRTC employee, and the routes are decided solely by us, not the operator," he said....