2,100 unserved villages to get regular bus service before Yogi’s 100 days

It will connect villages to their block, tehsil and headquarters at a subsidised fare

LUCKNOW: At least 2,100 of Uttar Pradesh’ unserved villages that lack access to road transport will start having a regular bus service before the Yogi Adityanath government completes its 100 days in power. The government will reach the 100-day mark in Juneend.

The government-owned UP State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) will start the bus service to connect these villages to their block, tehsil and district headquarters at a subsidised fare.

Minister of state for transport (independent charge) Swatantra Dev Singh is said to have given a written commitment with a timetable to chief minister Yogi Adiytanath in this regard. Many other ministers are also trying to compete one or two projects to showcase the same as achievements of their departments on completion of government’s 100 days.

“We are already halfway through the target connecting 1,100 unserved villages to a subsidised bus service by May 1 and will connect the remaining villages well before the target,” a senior UPSRTC official claimed.

He said though the minister had given the commitment to the CM for connecting 2,100 unserved villages to a UPSRTC bus service by June 18, the corporation’s internal target was for providing a regular bus service to 3,000 unserved villages.

“We will identify and connect all the unserved villages to a bus service in the time to come,” the official said, adding, “Unserved villages are those villages to which neither the UPSRTC nor the legal private operators are providing a bus service.”

The UPSRTC had launched its rural bus service, naming it ‘Lohiya Gramin Bus Seva’ in 2015 seeking to connect villages to their district headquarters at 25% lower fare vis-à-vis fare charged on UPSRTC’s ordinary buses. The same buses will be operated to more unserved villages, sources said. The UPSRTC, according to sources, was also working on a scheme that sought to further reduce the fare on rural buses significantly for the poor passengers.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has asked all ministers to present their report card to him when the government completes its 100 days in office. Based on the ministers’ report cards, the government will also issue a White Paper on the occasion.

We are already halfway through the target connecting 1,100 unserved villages to a subsidised bus service by May 1 and will connect the remaining villages well before the target SENIOR OFFICIAL , UPSRTC