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Support me again during the upcoming Assembly polls, says Khattar
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar appealed to Karnal residents for their support in the upcoming Assembly polls. He also inaugurated an electric bus service in Panipat and announced free travel for the public during the first seven days. The City Bus Service will expand to other cities in Haryana by June 2024.
Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday appealed the Karnal residents to support him again during the upcoming Assembly polls.
The chief minister was here to chair a Jan Samwad at a government school in Model Town in ward 11.
He addressed the gathering, heard complaints of people and ordered actions.
“Political season is about to start. Many people will come and make misleading claims. But you’ve to be smart and decide what to do. You’ve witnessed the change in the country in the last 10 years and also witnessed the results of those changes,” he said.
He further said that Lok Sabha elections are likely to be announced by the March end with voting by April-May and assembly elections are scheduled four months later.
“Due to my busy schedule, I was unable to stay for long during the campaigning for the last assembly elections and despite that you gave huge support. I will look forward for that support again,” the CM added.
The chief minister later also inaugurated a statue of Sant 1008 Durlabh Nath Ji Maharaj in Banso Gate area of the city and met former BJP district president Ashok Sukhija at his residence, who was allegedly attacked by a group of men earlier this week.
Starts electric bus service in Panipat
Earlier in the day, he also inaugurated the electric city bus service under Haryana City Bus Service Limited (HCBSL) from the new bus stand in Siwah, Panipat .
At the occasion, he also announced free travel for the public during the first seven days in these buses, encouraging people to opt for public transportation over private vehicles and also commuted in one of the buses for a few kilometers with other leaders and officials.
The routes of the City Bus Service will be carefully planned, taking into consideration the demands and needs of the city residents to systematically expand it further to the villages surrounding the city, he said.
Officials said that presently, three electric city buses have been introduced in Panipat, and soon, five more buses will be added to the fleet.
The fare for the City Bus Service will range from ₹10 to ₹50, and the route will cover a distance of 28 to 30 kilometers.
Khattar said that after the launch in Panipat, transport minister will start the service in Jagadhri and the government aims to start these buses in seven cities including Panchkula, Ambala, Sonepat, Rewari, Karnal, Rohtak, and Hisar by June 2024.
This unique project, initiated first by Haryana in the country, involves 450 modern, environmental friendly electric buses, and the project, costing more than 2450 crores over 12 years, is a significant step towards pollution free environment.
Principal secretary of transport department Navdeep Virk said new bus stands for electric buses will be built in 3-acre plots in each of the 7 cities of the state, with a total cost of ₹110 crores that will be equipped with charging facilities.
“He further shared that the state government has appointed Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL) as its consultant for the bus tendering process under the Ministry of Power, Government of India. Following a global tendering process conducted by CESL under the National E-Bus Plan, an order for 375 buses (12 metres each) was placed, which will be used for operating under this city bus service. In addition, mini-buses will also be introduced later,” he added.
