Mohali MC gives nod to city bus service

Councillors gave nod to local bus service within Mohali MC limits; initially, six buses will ply on eight routes

Members of the Mohali municipal corporation approved the agenda of local bus service within MC limits in the house meeting held on Tuesday.

During a House meeting, the Mohali MC gave nod to the city bus service. It will be operated by a private firm. (Gurtej Singh/HT)

Initially, there will be six buses, which will ply on eight routes within the MC limits. The cost of the ticket will be ₹10. A private company will be running the buses against the advertisement rights on the buses.

The issue of local bus service was hanging fire for the past decade.

City mayor Amarjeet Singh Sidhu said, “We are in talks with the Chandigarh administration to allow us one special bus, which would run for the PGIMER and drop patients in the morning as well as in the evening so that they can come back.”

On the other hand, opposition councillors opposed the move saying it should not be privatised and the MC should run the buses on its own.

Deputy mayor Kuljeet Singh Bedi said the issue of local buses was hanging fire for the past decade and the SAD government failed to do anything and now they were opposing it. “Our main aim is to serve the poor by fixing the ticket of ₹10,” he said.

Opposition councillor Manjit Singh Sethi claimed that the employees of the municipal corporation were taking bribes from rehri owners.

On this, MC commissioner Kamal Garg said these were serious allegations and would be investigated.

Speaking on the resolution regarding the extension of the Mohali municipal corporation’s sanitation contract, the mayor said due to the issue of recruitment of employees by the corporation, this work had been delayed a bit so the work of the old contractor company had been extended for three months. On the issue of non-issuance of experience certificates by the contractor to the sanitation employees, commissioner Kamal Garg said strict instructions had been issued to the contractor to issue experience certificates to these workers.

Another resolution empowered Garg to set up an appellate authority in the case of street vendors.

Simultaneously, a resolution was passed unanimously for the installation of about 100 cameras for the protection of women in Mohali. Another resolution regarding the supply of “parali” briquettes in the crematorium under the MC was also passed unanimously.