Adityanath launches saffron buses for rural connectivity
LUCKNOW: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday announced his government will build ‘gaurav paths’ for martyrs’ villages, connecting them to a regular bus service.
These ‘gaurav paths’ will be rural link roads.
The CM also said the government will erect gates at the entry of the martyrs’ villages and install statues of those who laid down their lives defending the country.
He made this announcement while launching the new ‘Sankap Bus Service’ here. He flagged off 50 saffron buses of the UP State Road Corporation’s (UPSRTC) at his 5, Kalidas Marg residence in the morning.
They will ply on rural routes in Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Allahabad, Bareilly and Moradabad.
The new service will cater to unserved villages as part of the government’s vision to connect all the 40,000 villages of the state to bus service in the next four years.
Sources said the Sankalp bus service was launched at very short notice. “We got a call from the CM office on Tuesday noon asking us to be ready for the launch,” an official disclosed.
Minister of state for transport (independent charge) Swatantra Dev Singh said the UPSRTC had identified 38,254 unserved villages which will be connected to the regular rural bus service.
“We aim to connect 9,563 villages to the Sankalp service every year, covering all the villages within next four years,” he said.
Anyone travelling in the Sankalp bus service will have to pay the fare as applicable in ordinary buses with no discount at all.
This will be in a sharp contrast the subsidised Lohiya rural bus service that charges 25% lower fare.
The Akhilesh Yadav government had launched the subsidised Lohiya rural bus service to connect villages to their district headquarters. Around 1,500 Lohiya buses are already catering to around 16,000 villages. The then government had given the money to the UPSRTC to buy new buses on the understanding that the corporation will in return provide subsidised service.
Sources said the Yogi Aditanath government too wanted its saffron bus service to be subsidised but the authorities failed to reach a consensus on funding.