Chandigarh Transport Undertaking to resume interstate buses from Sept 16

The UT administration also allowed state transport buses from elsewhere to ply on interstate routes to and from Chandigarh

Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) buses will start plying on interstate routes from September 16. The UT administration on Friday also allowed state transport buses from elsewhere to ply on interstate routes to and from Chandigarh.

The UT transport department has issued letters to Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, informing them about the decision. Along with ordinary buses, air-conditioned ones have also been allowed.

The decision was taken in the Friday’s war room review meeting chaired by UT administrator VPS Badnore. It comes following the central government’s Unlock 4 guidelines rolled out from September 1.

The interstate bus service will restart after more than five months. It was resumed during Unlock 1 in June as well but was discontinued after two days seeing a sudden surge in cases. There are 153 CTU buses plying on the various interstate routes.

“We are planning to resume bus service first only on main interstate routes. These are yet to be finalised,” said Uma Shankar Gupta, director, transport. “While planning the roll out, we will have to incorporate lockdown measures adopted in different states. For instance, night restrictions on movement in Punjab will determine timings of buses going to the state.”

Safety first

The buses will be operated in compliance with Covid-19 guidelines and precautions issued by the government from time to time. The UT transport department has also issued standard operating procedure for interstate buses.

Tickets will be issued either in the bus or through online booking. No counters will be opened. Boarding and deboarding will be allowed only at the ISBTs in Sectors 17 and 43.

Bus crew will have to ensure passengers wear mask during the journey and maintain social distancing. No passenger will be allowed to deboard without wearing a mask.

Buses will operate only at 50% of their seating capacity and buses will be sanitised after the journey. Although, Aarogya Setu app is not mandatory, passengers will be encouraged to use it.

Mandi to be shifted back to Sector 26

For restarting the bus service from ISBT, Sector 17, the administration has directed the market committee to shift the vegetable and fruit market back to the Sector 26.

The mandi was shifted to the ISBT after the Bapu Dham Colony, Sector 26, was declared a containment zone.