‘Waste of public money’: Opposition hits out at condition of Ludhiana buses
BJP leader Jeewan Gupta said several buses had been parked for years near the tehsildar office on Hambran Road
Leaders of various political parties have hit out at the “deteriorating” condition of buses operating under the Ludhiana City Bus Service Limited, calling it a “sheer wastage of public money”.
They raised concerns over “negligence” by the Municipal Corporation (MC).
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jeewan Gupta said several buses had been parked for years near the tehsildar office on Hambran Road, and had turned into scrap. Broken seats, missing parts and rusted structures reflect the grim state of what was once projected as a key public transport service in the city, he said.
Taking a dig at the MC authorities, the BJP leader said the site could be converted into a “museum”.
Gupta pointed out the buses were procured during the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP regime under a Centre’s scheme but successive governments failed to maintain them.
Senior Congress leader Pawan Dewan said funds for the buses were provided by the Centre but the MC failed to maintain them.
SAD leader Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal echoed the concerns and said at a time when inflation is rising, people need affordable transport.
Stuck in legal battle: MC
MC officials aware of the matter said most of the buses parked on Hambran Road were taken back from a private contractor but a legal dispute between the two parties had stalled action.
According to them, another 37 buses lying at Tajpur Road were in a dilapidated state and MC’s attempts to auction them did not get any bidders.
A senior MC official, requesting not to be named, said authorities were constrained by circumstances. “The buses on Hambran Road are stuck in legal proceedings and no bidders came forward for the ones on Tajpur Road,” the official said.
