State-run buses pressed into service to ferry people in Amritsar

Neeraj Bagga

Amritsar, March 13

Much to the inconvenience of common passengers, state-run buses were pressed into service to ferry the Aam Aadmi Party supporters from other districts for the roadshow held here on Sunday.

MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla was quick to flay the AAP. Sharing visuals of a Punjabi news channel airing a report highlighting state-run buses at Patiala being refuelled at a filling station, he cautioned AAP leaders saying ‘with great power comes great responsibility’.

Citing it a classic example of AAP copying erstwhile SAD government, he said misuse of public buses should be closed as it upsets the daily route of buses which ultimately cause inconvenience to lakhs of commuters. He flayed AAP for making the arrangements from the state exchequer.

The buses ferrying AAP activists from across the state came to the holy city to cheer up their leaders, who were led by party supremo Arvind Kejriwal and CM-designate Bhagwant Maan, paid obeisance at the Golden Temple, Durgiana Temple, Bhagwan Valmiki Temple in Ramtirath area here. They also held a roadshow.

Party officials and the district administration said Chief Secretary released Rs 15 lakh to the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Amritsar and Rs 2 lakh to other DCs in the rest of the state to hold a roadshow for Mann and AAP MLAs here. So, the state-run buses were pressed into service to take people from all districts to the holy city.

Sources said 85 buses were drawn from Ferozepur depot, followed by 65 from Sangrur depot, 62 from Pathankot, 50 from Barnala, 32 from Faridkot, 30 from Moga, 22 buses from Kapurthala, 20 from Fazilka and 15 from Ropar.

Meanwhile, AAP leaders defended the move stating that theirs was a party of common people, who do not own transports. The government incurred the expenses of the transport, which went to the coffers of cash-strapped transport service.