Free travel for school students in BRTS buses from Oct 15
Free travel will also be provided to all citizens for first three months, but students up to Class 12 will get it for all time to come, says local bodies minister Sidhu
AMRITSAR: Free travel facility will be provided to school students after all the buses to be run under the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) are introduced from October 15.
Disclosing this here on Friday, Punjab local bodies and tourism minister Navjot Singh Sidhu said free travel facility will also be provided to all the citizens for first three months, but students up to Class 12 will have the facility for all times to come.
Former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had inaugurated the first phase of the project in December 2016. Then, a few buses became operational on the corridor exclusively constructed for these buses across the city.
However, the project failed to get on the track fully.
Sidhu took stock of the various aspects of the project at a meeting held here and also took a ride in a BRTS bus. He said chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh had given the green light to put the project, initiated by the previous regime at a cost of ₹500 crore, on the track.
The meeting was also attended by education and environment minister, Punjab, OP Soni; Lok Sabha member Gurjit Singh Aujla, mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu, MLA Raj Kumar Verka, principal secretary finance Anirudh Tiwari, secretary (PWD) Hussan Lal, commissioner of police S Srivastava,
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The buses under BRTS will first be run for 67 months to gauge the people’s response. If it turns out to be negative, then project will be partially modified. NAVJOT SINGH SIDHU, local bodies and tourism minister
deputy commissioner Kamaldeep Singh Sangha, commissioner of municipal corporation Sonali Giri, additional deputy commissioner Ravinder Singh and others.
The minister said that the 31-km route under the system will have 47 bus stations. Seven stations are still under construction. He said the government is not eyeing revenue generation from this project, but comfort and facilitation of the people.
He said the buses will first be run for 6-7 months to gauge the people's response. If it turns out to be negative, then the project will be partially modified, the minister said.
On the issue of autos causing pollution and hindrance to the project, the minister said that auto owners will be persuaded to run their autos on CNG or battery and will be provided loans for the purpose.
He said tenders worth ₹155 crore are being called next week under the smart city project and the work on some projects may begin soon.
He said the Centre has also approved a project worth ₹4,000 crore for providing clean drinking water to the people of Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Patiala and the World Bank is also in the process of sanctioning ₹2,000 crore for the project.
On the issue of illegal colonies, Sidhu said one time-settlement will be considered in the cabinet meeting, but no relief will be given to any illegal construction done after March 31. He also made it clear that people would not be allowed to encroach upon government land.