Even as the administration is gradually easing the restrictions in the district, 50% cap on occupancy and evening curfew is keeping city buses off the road.
Citing losses, staffers of the contractor operating the buses in the city said that the service cannot be resumed until restriction on seating capacity are removed.
The service was halted on May 7 and this is forcing residents to shell out ₹20 for a short journey in an auto-rickshaw for which ₹5 to 10 would be charged by city buses.
Residents demand that the service is restarted at the earliest. Earlier, city buses used to ferry around 3,500 passengers daily on three routes — Sahnewal to Clock Tower, bus stand to Meharban and bus stand to Kohara.
Gurdeep Singh, a resident of Meharban, said, “City buses charge ₹5 for a 5km journey while auto-rickshaw drivers charge ₹20 even for covering 2km. The authorities should restart the service at the earliest to bring some relief to the public, especially at a time when many people are going through a financial crisis.”
Further, residents demand that the service should be started on other routes as well. Sonu, a resident of Jawahar Nagar camp, said, “The service should also be started in the internal areas of the city, as this will end the monopoly of auto-rickshaw drivers. Apart from benefitting residents financially, it will also bring relief from traffic congestion and help in reducing the pollution created by auto rickshaws.”
{{/usCountry}}Further, residents demand that the service should be started on other routes as well. Sonu, a resident of Jawahar Nagar camp, said, “The service should also be started in the internal areas of the city, as this will end the monopoly of auto-rickshaw drivers. Apart from benefitting residents financially, it will also bring relief from traffic congestion and help in reducing the pollution created by auto rickshaws.”
{{/usCountry}}As per municipal corporation (MC) officials, 120 buses were bought under the project, out of which 83 have been handed over the contractor. Out of these 83, only around 35 are citing losses.
MC commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal said that he will seek a report from the officials concerned and a notice will also be issued to the contractor to restart the service.