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Punjab expands rural bus network, allocates ₹17.72 crore for Valmiki shrine
Punjab is adding 100 mini buses to improve links between villages and cities while planning another 309 large buses next month.
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Punjab is expanding rural public transport with 100 new mini buses and has allocated ₹17.72 crore for development at Maharishi Bhagwan Valmiki Tirath Sthal in Amritsar.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann flagged off 100 new 29-seater mini buses for the Punjab Roadways Transport Corporation (PRTC) in Patiala on October 26. He said the buses would connect villages and small towns with cities, improving access to education, employment, markets and essential services. Another 309 large buses are planned for the fleet next month.
The buses have been distributed among nine depots: Patiala will receive 25, Bathinda and Chandigarh 15 each, Sangrur 10, Barnala nine, Budhlada eight, Kapurthala seven, Faridkot six and Ludhiana five. The initiative is expected to create jobs for around 150 drivers and conductors, while 15 young people received appointment letters for transport department jobs. Mann said about 3,000 privately operated mini buses also connect villages, towns and cities across Punjab.
Mann said buses should reach every village, as canal water had been taken to every field, and criticised previous governments for discontinuing village-to-city services. Transport Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh and other officials attended the launch.
Separately, the state has allocated ₹17.72 crore in the 2026-27 financial year for development at Maharishi Bhagwan Valmiki Tirath Sthal. Planned works include renovation of the main temple, a sewage treatment plant, air-conditioning in the temple and sarai, an upgraded sound system, CCTV facilities and cleaning of the sarovar.
The site also has a Valmiki Ramayana panorama dedicated in 2024 at a reported cost of ₹25 crore. Facade lighting is among the planned works. Mann has said religious institutions should be managed by faith communities without political interference.
