Amritsar, July 14: Making last-ditch efforts to revive the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) here, the state government has decided to offer free ride to schoolgoing children for an indefinite period on the project’s air-conditioned buses. Adults can avail this facility for three months after the BRTS relaunch, scheduled for October 15.
Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday held a meeting in this regard with Environment Minister OP Soni, Lok Sabha MP Gurjit Singh Aujla, Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu, MLA Dr Raj Kumar Verka, Principal Secretary (Finance) Anirudh Tiwari, PWD Secretary Hussan Lal,
Deputy Commissioner Kamaldeep Singh Sangha, Commissioner of Police S Srivastava, MC Commissioner Sonali Giri and ADC Ravinder Singh.
About Rs 400 crore have already been spent on the project spearheaded by the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB).
Sidhu said, “We want to give a chance to this ill-conceived project that was started prematurely by the then SAD-BJP government. Now, our goal is to make it work to decongest traffic in Amritsar and provide a cost-effective, comfortable and safe ride to the commuters.”
The first phase of the project (from India Gate on the Amritsar-Attari bypass road to the railway station) was flagged off by the then Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal on December 15, 2016. Despite a nominal fare of Rs 10-15, it didn’t catch the fancy of commuters. Presently, just nine buses are plying, whereas at least 70 are gathering dust at the BRTS depot near Verka.
Source Tribune India
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