PRTC halts city bus service on outer routes

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, July 17

The PRTC has stopped 10 regular city buses, which were making losses, and has started operating mini-buses on the outer routes.

The city bus service has been affected as of the 20 mini-buses, meant for inner city area, many are now plying on the outer routes.

There is confusion over the timetable followed by these mini-buses.

PRTC officials claim that they are following the timetable given to them by the MCB while MCB officials say they don’t have any timetable.

PRTC Bathinda bus stand GM Surinder Singh said, “We have halted 10 city buses as we were facing loss. The regular buses also need maintenance.”

When asked about the mini-buses plying on outer routes, he said it was decided by the MCB and these buses were operating 7 km outside the city area.

Mayor Balwant Rai Nath said he would take up the matter in the upcoming F&CC committee meeting and soon the issue would be resolved.

When asked about the routes on which mini-buses were plying, he called the XEN, who said they didn’t have any route.

They have to take the time table details from the PRTC, the XEN added.

The city bus project kicked off in 2012 under the then Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

Ten (52-seater) low floor buses were introduced and the project was handed over to the PRTC for its operation and maintenance. Former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal inaugurated the project with much fanfare.

Even in 2016, the PRTC moved out of a contract with the MCB over operating these buses.

At that time, the MCB has planned to operate these buses on its own.

The civic body floated a tender for it but no bus contractor showed any interest in operating the buses due to which the PRTC was later told to operate them.