Madhya Pradesh Relaunches Public Bus Service After 21 Years With 351 Buses

Madhya Pradesh has restarted a State-backed public bus network with 351 buses flagged off under a new transport service from Bhopal, marking the return of such services after they were shut down in 2005.

Public bus service relaunched after 21 years

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav relaunched the public bus service in the State on Friday.

The relaunch came after a gap of 21 years, with the earlier service having been shut down in 2005.

The programme was held on the birth anniversary of Bharatiya Janata Party patron Deen Dayal Upadhyay.

At the ceremony, Mr. Yadav and Mr. Gadkari unveiled the ‘Mukhyamantri Sugam Parivahan Seva’ and flagged off 351 buses from Bhopal’s BHEL Dussehra ground.

The service has been launched under Madhya Pradesh’s Mobility Vision - 2030.

Seven cities covered in phase-1

The buses flagged off in the first phase are to be operated from seven cities.

The cities that will start operations under phase-1 are Indore, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Rewa, Dewas, Katni and Bhind.

The first phase includes 231 intra-city buses and 120 inter-city buses.

According to official information, the government plans to run 1,500 buses in the first year.

The government also plans to add 2,500-3,000 buses every year.

Overall, the government plans to run 15,000 intra-State and inter-State buses across 3,500 routes by 2031.

The plan also targets connecting 75% gram panchayats across the State.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Yadav said the buses will provide a modern, affordable and safe mode of travel for the public.

PM e-bus Sewa also launched in Madhya Pradesh

Mr. Yadav and Mr. Gadkari also launched the ‘PM e-bus Sewa’ in Madhya Pradesh at the event.

The ‘PM e-bus Sewa’ is a Union government scheme under which electric buses are being run on a Public-Private Partnership model.

Mr. Gadkari said the Centre plans to deploy 10,000 electric buses at a cost of ₹57,000 crore under the scheme.

Of this, ₹20,000 crore will be borne by the Centre, Mr. Gadkari said.

“A total of 972 buses have been sanctioned in Madhya Pradesh so far,” he added.

The launch of the State service and the ‘PM e-bus Sewa’ places Madhya Pradesh’s bus network plan within both the State’s Mobility Vision - 2030 and the Union government’s electric bus scheme.

Congress raises questions over bus condition

Several buses flagged off under the ‘Mukhyamantri Sugam Parivahan Seva’, however, appeared to be old vehicles freshly painted with saffron colour.

Congress State unit president Jitu Patwari criticised the rollout and questioned the condition of the buses being deployed.

“The government is taking 10-year-old buses out of the scrapyard, refurbishing them with new paint and bodywork, and putting them back on the road: only to tout this as a major achievement,” Mr. Patwari said.

He said the government must tell the actual condition of the buses being deployed.

Mr. Patwari also asked how their fitness had been verified.

He further sought details of the measures put in place to ensure passengers’ safety.

Source: The Hindu