Resume bus service on Peo route, urge Jahalma residents

Residents of Jahalma panchayat have renewed their demand for the reinstatement of the Jahalma-Reckong Peo bus route, which has been discontinued for long in Lahaul and Spiti.

Local residents said the route, previously managed by the Keylong Depot, had been servicing the area for more than 25 years before its discontinuation. Since then, passengers from Jahalma, bound for Tandi, have been depending on buses coming from Udaipur.

Pritam Thakur, a resident of Jahalma, said, “Earlier, HRTC bus service was running from Jahalma to Reckong Peo and we used to transport our floriculture produce in the bus. Now, we are dependent on bus service coming from Udaipur, which sometimes is overcrowded. As a result, we face huge inconvenience.”

Rohit Kumar, vice-pradhan of Jahalma panchayat, said the residents had been demanding the resumption of bus service from Jahalma to Reckong Peo. The HRTC had claimed that since there was no boarding and food facility for its staff at Jahalma, the bus service had been discontinued.

He said the significant population of the Jahalma region, including Nalda, Junda, Jahalma, Goharma, Jobrang, Shansha, Ranika, Warpa and Tandi panchayats would benefit from the resumption of bus service.

Reacting to the demand, Ayush, incharge, Keylong Depot, said, “The bus route has been extended from Udaipur to Reckong Peo. We will look into the demand of Jahalma residents.”

Depend on buses from Udaipur

The Keylong Depot had been plying a bus in the area for over 25 years before the discontinuation of service. Since then, passengers from Jahalma, bound for Tandi, have been depending on buses coming from Udaipur.