UPSRTC bus service in 12 green zone districts from today

LUCKNOW : The Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) will resume normal bus operations in and between the districts categorised as ‘green zone’ from Wednesday, with all precautions in place.

Currently, there are 12 ‘green zone’ districts--Lakhimpur Kheri, Shahjhanpur, Ambedkar Nagar, Balia, Chandauli, Chitrakoot, Farukhabad, Fatehpur, Hamirpur, Lalitpur, Sonbhadra and Amethi-- identified by the UPSRTC for bus operations. As per the Central government’s new Covid-19 guidelines, inter and intra-green zone bus operations can start with certain restrictions.

UPSRTC managing director Raj Shekhar on Tuesday issued necessary directions in this regard to the officials through a videoconference here.

Explaining an elaborate list of dos and don’ts to officials, he said all the bus stations within the ‘green zones’ must be sanitised twice every day and every bus be sanitised before each trip.

He said wearing masks would be mandatory for conductors and drivers and conductors would also wear gloves. All personnel would compulsorily undergo thermal screening every day.

“Also, passengers will be allowed to begin their journey only if they wear a face mask or cover their mouth nose with handkerchief, towel etc after they board a bus,” Shekhar said.He said officials had been asked to make a 500 ml bottle of hand sanitiser available in each bus with the conductor to ensure that each passenger sanitized his or her hands after boarding the bus. A separate hand sanitiser and soap would be available at bus stations.“We have also set up a ‘Covid Task Force’ at depot level to ensure compliance with all the directions,” Shekhar said.

› Also, passengers will be allowed to begin their journey only if they wear a face mask or cover their mouth nose with handkerchief, towel etc after they board a bus RAJ SHEKHAR , UPSRTC managing director