Development and war against Covid-19 will go together: CM
Yogi praises UPSRTC, says it has proved itself during the pandemic
LUCKNOW: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said the state government would not let the wheels of development stop while waging a war against Covid-19.
He said this at an event while inaugurating UPSRTC’s six new bus stations and laying the foundation of seven more in the state. The chief minister also flagged off some new buses.
Praising the UP State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC), Yogi said: “The UPSRTC has proved itself during the pandemic. Under normal circumstances, anyone and any organisation can work well, but giving the best results during challenging times is the test that UPSRTC passed with flying colours.”
“The UPSRTC was a partner in the time of crisis,” he was quoted as saying in a press statement.
The bus stations inaugurated by the CM were: Naimishsharanya (Sitapur), Chitrakoot, Raudhauli (Basti), Mankapur (Gonda), Dibai (Bulandshahr), and Awadh bus station Ayodhya road (Lucknow).
He laid the foundation stone for bus stations in Gurshaiganj (Kannauj), Jalaun, Kanth (Moradabad), Dibiyapur (Auraiyya), Aliganj (Etah), Badlapur (Jaunpur) and Chayal (Kaushambi).
The UPSRTC had sanitised the buses again and changed some staff for the event as over half a dozen of its bus staff had tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday.
Sharing the UPSRTC’s Covidlockdown story, Yogi said: “When the lockdown began, the UPSRTC transported lakhs of migrant workers and labourers. In a short span of 48 hours, it transported 4.5 lakh migrants safely to their destinations. Roadways buses ferried students who were stranded in Kota (Rajasthan). When migrants began arriving at railways stations, the roadways transported them also. In all, UPSRTC ferried 35 lakh migrants.”
“As per the expectations of people, the state government began modernising bus stations on the lines of airports,” he added.
Transport minister Ashok Katariya too praised the UPSRTC. The corporation’s managing director, Raj Shekhar, expressed gratitude to the CM and the minister.