NEW DELHI: Ahead of Chhath Puja, the Delhi and Bihar governments have launched 77 inter-state bus services to facilitate affordable travel for people heading home for the festival, Delhi Transport Minister Pankaj Singh said on Thursday, according to news agency PTI.The initiative is aimed at easing the festive travel rush, particularly for people from Bihar and Poorvanchal living in Delhi. Both governments had earlier approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to operationalise the services.“Chhath Puja holds immense cultural and emotional significance for lakhs of people from Bihar and Poorvanchal residing in Delhi. The government is committed to working with Bihar to ensure that passengers can travel home safely and affordably,” Singh said, as quoted by PTI.He added that subsidised fares and additional bus services would make public transport more accessible during the festive season.According to the initial arrangement, the 77 buses will operate from Anand Vihar Bus Terminal and connect five divisions of Bihar. These include Muzaffarpur, which will receive 36 buses, Patna (13), Purnea (12), Gaya Ji (10) and Darbhanga (6).The services will include non-AC and AC buses, with both sleeper and seater options. Depending on the route and category, passengers will receive fare reductions ranging from Rs 134 to Rs 1,028.“To provide financial relief to passengers, subsidised festival fares are being charged across non-AC seater, non-AC sleeper, AC seater and AC sleeper categories,” Singh said, according to PTI.The minister said the initiative reflected the shared commitment of the two governments to ease festive travel and strengthen interstate public transport connectivity.Officials said the arrangement was also expected to benefit the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) by increasing its revenue.Under the agreement, only BS-VI-compliant environment-friendly CNG buses and electric buses will be permitted to operate. The vehicles will also be required to have vehicle location-tracking devices and emergency buttons.The MoU further provides for mutual recognition of tickets issued in either state. The arrangement will remain valid for 10 years, subject to applicable legal provisions, officials said.
Discover more from updatview
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
