After a long wait, several trial runs, and many disappointments, City Bus Service seems ready finally for a new start in the new year. On January 11, deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal is expected to flag off the latest fleet from the renovated terminus here.
By December 31, 42 buses of three categories (low floor, semi-low floor, and midi car) designed for separate age groups are expected to reach Amritsar for the January 11 flag-off. The terminus is being decked up. Local parliamentarian Navjot Singh Sidhu had questioned the seriousness of the Punjab government to bring out the project that he had so talked about and that was missing from roads for years. He had also visited the terminus when in was in a pathetic shape.
Announced in 2007 on the lines of the facility in Indore, to rid the city's roads of traffic congestion, City Bus Service has had several trial runs but not once hit the road. The delay escalated the cost by `13 crore from the initial estimate of Rs 33 crore.
"The operation of 42 buses will be just the first phase," said municipal commissioner DPS Kharbanda.
{{/usCountry}}"The operation of 42 buses will be just the first phase," said municipal commissioner DPS Kharbanda.
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Project file
6 years since announcement
150 buses to be operated
42 buses to ply in first phase
3 categories (low floor, semi-low floor, midi car)