Channi in driver's seat: Punjab CM drives bus as he flags off 58 new buses

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 29

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Wednesday drove a new Punbus for a short distance as part of induction of 58 new buses into the state fleet.

A total of 842 modern vehicles are being added into the state fleet in one go for the first time ever at a cost of Rs 400 crore.

Flagging off the first tranche of 30 buses for PRTC and 28 buses for PUNBUS, Channi said the last two months had witnessed the transport department’s revival as a result of stringent action against erring bus operators and tax evaders.

The chief minister also announced free bus travel facility for all college and university students. The decision will benefit lakhs of students across the state in ensuring education to them. “We are also constructing and renovating 105 bus terminals to further strengthen the overall infrastructure,” the CM said.

Crackdown on those running the state transport as a mafia has resulted in significant enhancement of department revenue, said Channi, who was accompanied by Transport Minister Amrinder Singh Raja Warring.

The CM asserted that no one would be allowed to fleece commuters and a transparent, efficient and effective transport mechanism is his government’s top priority.

Lauding Warring for his efforts in the last three months, the Chief Minister said the new buses are a gift to the people of Punjab, especially women for whom the government has already made travel free.