Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, further to concerns raised by the hon. Member during the Sitting of the House of 10 December 2024 regarding bus services in Constituency No.13, the NLTA was tasked to assess the prevailing situation and to come up with appropriate remedial measures. I am informed by NLTA that a meeting was held with the NTC and individual operators concerned on 06 March 2025. The bus operators were instructed to improve the level of bus services in those regions and according to the NLTA, improvements have been noted along most of those routes. Several checks subsequently carried out an operation of buses at Souillac, Camp Diable and L’Escalier in the months of June and July 2025. Coming to the substantive question, I am informed by the NTC that the NTC serves the following 8 routes. I am not going to list all of them but it is route No. 66A, the description is there, if you want, I can give it to.

Yes, you can.

No. 6/6A, No. 7, No. 61/61A, No. 34, No. 67, No. 79, No. 133 and No.197. Route 10 which extends over 40 km also plies through Rivière des

65 Galets to Mahebourg via Souillac, Camp Diable and L’Escalier and is served by 35 individual operators at an interval of 15 minutes at peak hours. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am informed by the NTC that repeated complaints especially with regard to unavailability of buses along the above routes are being received. For the period of June/July 2025 to September 2025, a total of 50 complaints has been received specifically on account of irregular bus services which is attributable to frequent breakdown of Yutong and Nissan buses deployed on those routes. I am further made to understand that the NTC is encountering difficulties to procure spare parts in view of the need to abide by directive 47 of the Procurement Policy Office with regard to mandatory use of e-procurement system. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I personally met her Excellency, the Chinese Ambassador during courtesy call recently on 01 September 2025 and I have requested her to facilitate the commercialisation of spare parts of Yutong buses locally and I am given to understand that the Embassy is exploring the possibility of having an MoU between Yutong company and NTC that should theoretically resolve the problem. In fact, the NTC redeployed one additional bus…

Is your answer long, hon. Minister? Because the question is simple, what actions are you taking?

Yes, just to complete and to say because since it is Constituency No.13, a massive amount of Rs24.6 million has been injected by the TRMSU for construction of a traffic centre at Rivière des Anguilles. The traffic centre will be operational this week and will is expected to enhance the bus transport services in Constituency No.13.

Yes, hon. Member!

Relating to the incident regarding some buses that took fire, I would like to ask the hon. Minister whether the fire prevention mechanism systems were in place, if not whether an enquiry will be undertaken?

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, in fact, yes, there was an issue. I am privy to information which I can give to the hon. Member since it is requested in the question. The former General Manager of the NTC was given a quotation on 29 January 2020 to change what is called the firebombs – from what is written here. It is supposed to explode when there is fire and quench the fire but same were not changed. That was four years ago – so, we have an issue. The new General Manager, when he assumed office in July 2025, immediately asked for a quotation and I am given to understand that same will

66 be replaced and I have asked him to do so expeditiously. I am told it is going to cost Rs2.44 million. As regards whether an enquiry will have to be conducted, I can ask the Board of the NTC to look into this issue.

The hon. Member for Rivière des Anguilles & Souillac. OLD BRIDGES & FOOTBRIDGES – ISLAND-WIDE AUDIT – REPAIRS & REINFORCEMENT