Karnal city bus service gets going

Tribune News Service

Karnal, January 20

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar inaugurated the city bus service today. Renu Bala Gupta, Mayor, and Priyanka Soni, Municipal Commissioner, thanked the Chief Minister for dedicating the project to the city. They said the KMC had procured six buses (three AC and three non-AC) at the cost of Rs 1.60 crore. These would ply on three routes between the District Jail and Budakhera village; Karnal Sugar Mill and the Pal Nagar passing through Committee Chowk and the new bus stand on the Baldi bypass and the railway station after crossing NDRI Chowk and Committee Chowk.

In non-AC buses, the charge would be Rs 5, Rs 10, Rs 15 and Rs 20 based on kilometre, while in AC buses, the charge would be Rs 10, Rs 20 and Rs 30, they said.

“GPS devices have been installed in all six buses. We will connect these buses on the smart city app,” Priyanka said. “We will explore the option of the smart card payment system after observing the response of people,” she added. These buses would be parked in the bus stand. Their maintenance would be done by the agency concerned for a year, while the General Manager, Roadways, would manage its day-to-day operations, she told the CM.

Khattar had announced a city bus service in 2015. The previous Congress government had made a similar announcement, but could not implement it.

Besides, the CM also inaugurated CCTV cameras acquired at the cost of Rs 9.30 crore and installed at 31 locations in the city to monitor crime. The Commissioner said that the feed of all 129 CCTV cameras would be seen on a big screen at police control room in Sector 12. The cameras would be operational by March end. The supplier company would maintain the cameras for six years.

The CM inaugurated an ITI building at Jaisinghpura, constructed at the cost of Rs 4.29 crore. He also inaugurated the Rural Self Employment Training Institute (RSETI) in Kachwa village, constructed at Rs 1 crore, from the same venue. He also laid the foundation stone of Guru Nanak Dwar on the Chirao Mod to be constructed at the cost of Rs 1.06 crore.

Ease in travel

• The six buses (three AC and three non-AC) would ply on three routes between the District Jail and Budakhera village; Karnal Sugar Mill and Pal Nagar passing through Committee Chowk and the new bus stand on the Baldi bypass and the railway station after crossing NDRI Chowk and Committee Chowk. 
• In non-AC buses, the charge would be Rs 5, Rs 10, Rs 15 and Rs 20 based on kilometre, while in AC buses, the charge would be Rs 10, Rs 20 and Rs 30