e-boost for Karnal public transport

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Karnal, March 8

In a major boost to public transport in the city, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today inaugurated the electric city bus service through videoconferencing from Panchkula.

Karnal MP Sanjay Bhatia simultaneously flagged off the buses. Initially, five e-buses will ply on city roads. In the coming days, the fleet of e-buses will be extended to 50 buses, said an official.

Routes finalised for city

The electric buses will start their journey from the old bus stand and pass through NDRI Chowk, Gandhi Chowk, Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College, Civil Hospital, SBI Bank, Sector 13 Extension Road, Sector 12 mini-secretariat, Nirmal Kutia, ITI Chowk, Sector 9, RK Puram, Budha Khera Chowk, Newal, Sainik School Kunjpura, and Kunjpura bus stand. These buses will return to the old bus stand following the same route.

Over 18K registered

Panipat: A day after the launch of Haryana Antyodaya Parivar Parivahan Yojana, as many as 18,376 people have got themselves registered in the system. The scheme is aimed at providing free travel up to 1,000 km for members of Antyodaya families. Navdeep Singh Virk, Principal Secretary, Transport Department, said on the first day, as many as 18,376 people were registered under the scheme in the state. TNS

At present, the bus service has started from the old bus stand where a charging station has been built. Soon, a new electric bus terminal will be constructed, for which land has been finalised in Sector 12.

The Chief Minister also announced that the electric city bus service would be free for first seven days. While addressing the public virtually, the Chief Minister said since today, it was Mahashivratri, efforts would be made to ensure that the electric buses passed near the Shiv temples of the city so that devotees could be benefited from the service.

The fare for a 45-seater electric bus has been set at Rs 10 for the first five km, followed by an increase of Rs 5 for every three km.

The route of the city buses will be amended according to the demands and needs of the residents. Moreover, the city bus service will gradually be expanded to neighbouring towns in a phased manner. So far, as many as 375 buses have been procured across the state.

“The city bus service has already been introduced in Panipat and Yamunanagar. Now, the service has launched in Panchkula and Karnal districts. It will commence in five additional cities — Ambala, Sonepat, Rewari, Rohtak, and Hisar — by June 30,” said the Chief Minister, adding that the roadways fleet has currently been expanded from 3,083 to 4,651 buses, with an additional 562 buses operating under the km scheme.

MP Sanjay Bhatia said the Chief Minister, in his Budget address for 2023-24, had announced the initiation of city bus services under nine MCs in the state and Rewari city. The step has been taken towards a pollution-free environment, he added.

The authorities said the newly launched electric buses were zero-emission vehicles, which were projected to save around 4,20,000 lt of diesel over 10 years.

These buses are powered by fast-charging lithium-ion batteries and equipped with a real-time passenger information system, panic buttons for emergency, GPS, CCTV cameras, public address systems, stop request buttons, fire detection systems, and alarms.

Bhatia, while travelling in the bus, talked to mediapersons and said the electric buses were a result of Chief Minister’s vision. “These buses are more comfortable and convenient than air-conditioned cars,” the MP added, urging passengers keep these buses clean.