Pangi residents demand ramp up of public transport service

Residents of tribal Pangi valley in Chamba district have requested the Himachal Pradesh Government to allocate new buses to the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) sub-depot in Pangi, citing an acute need to improve public transport service on routes vital to local commuters.

At present, the Killar (Pangi) sub-depot currently operates under the Keylong Depot of the HRTC. Trilok Thakur, president of Pangwal Ekta Manch, a forum of Pangi people raising issues related to the valley on various platforms, said, “The HRTC operates a combined bus route serving both Punto and Pregran route. Villages are on geographically distinct location and entirely in the opposite direction of each other in the valley.”

He emphasised that the lack of adequate transportation facilities was severely impacting residents of these remote villages, especially after the recent route extension to Duggar, which still awaits implementation despite official certification around a month ago. He said Punto revenue village had four sub-villages and a population of nearly 1,000 of which mostly commute daily to sub-divisional headquarters in Killar for various works.

He said following a trial run on September 20, 2024, conducted under the supervision of Resident Commissioner (RC), Pangi, Executive Engineer, Pangi, and HRTC officials, the route extension to Duggar received a fitness certificate from the Public Works Department (PWD), Pangi. While this move was enthusiastically welcomed by residents, the service was yet to be launched, reportedly due to the lack of an available bus in the HRTC Pangi fleet.

According to local sources, the Killar sub-depot currently manages 21 buses across 33 routes, with frequent mechanical issues limiting operational capacity.

Prem Lal Thakur, a local resident, said, “With three to four buses in breakdown condition on any given day, it is a struggle to cover essential routes. Our people need dependable transportation,” he said.

Chatter Singh Rana, a community leader, highlighted that recently, the Keylong Depot was allotted eight to 10 new buses by the HRTC without a single bus being assigned to Pangi sub-depot.

“This reflects step-motherly treatment towards the people of Pangi, who face lot of hardships due to limited public transport,” he said.

Ishwar Chadha, another resident, said without a dedicated bus, people of Punto and Pregran were forced to depend on this combined route, which was insufficient for their needs. “We urge the Chief Minister to take notice of the issue and initiate necessary steps for a fair allocation of resources to Pangi,” he said.