‘Public transport may open soon with some guidelines’

Opening of transport & highways will go a long way in instilling confidence among public: Gadkari

NEW DELHI: Public transport, which has been shut since the first lockdown announcement on March 24, may soon be in operation, Roadways minister Nitin Gadkari assured transporters on Wednesday.

Opening of transport and highways will go a long way in instilling confidence among the public, said the minister, adding that public transport may open soon with some guidelines.

He, however, cautioned towards maintaining social distance and adopting all safety measures like hand wash, sanitising, face masks, etc while operating buses and cars. The minister was addressing the members of Bus and Car Operators Confederation of India through video conferencing.

The nationwide lockdown, necessitated by the Coronavirus outbreak, is in place till May 17. No railway, flight services are allowed in this period.

However, the railways did run over 100 Shramik Special trains to ferry stranded migrants.

Gadkari expressed confidence that the country and its industry will together win both the battles — the one with Coronavirus, and the one with the economic slowdown.

Members of the confederation made suggestions for improving the condition of public transport which include extending interest payment exemptions, restarting public transport, extending age life limit, deferring state taxes, extending MSME benefits, extending insurance policy validity, etc.

On demand of a bailout for the passenger transport industry, Gadkari said the government is fully aware of their problems, and will fully support them to mitigate their issues.

He said that he is in regular touch with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who are working overtime to uplift the economy during these difficult days of COVID-19 pandemic.

The minister also asked investors and the industry to convert the Coronavirus-induced crisis into an opportunity by occupying a larger global market.

“Economy is facing a crisis due to the outbreak... We should treat it as a blessing in disguise as no one wants to deal with China. Japan’s PM is facilitating industry there to do investment out of China... It is a chance to boost the Indian economy,” the minister said.