Track CTU buses on your mobile
Now it is possible to track local buses run by the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) on a real-time basis on one’s mobile through an app. The transport department has allotted the intelligent transport system installation work on CTU buses to a Gujarat-based company at a cost of over `35 crore. A centralised control station will be set up and it will help track the buses through GPS units mounted on them. Thus real-time information of their movement will be available which will be displayed on a screen at bus stops and accessed on mobile phones. With the implementation of the system, transportation will become safe, smart and passenger-friendly.
Going green with electric buses
The Chandigarh Administration has prepared a draft electric vehicle policy to replace petrol and diesel vehicles with electric vehicles in the next 10 years. It has been proposed in the draft policy that the road tax and registration charges on electric vehicles will be waived off and insurance should be free for five years. Also, it is proposed that the administration will have an all-electric fleet of public buses and government vehicles by 2027. Besides rickshaws, taxis and school buses will also be replaced with electric buses. All institutions, offices and public parking will have dedicated free parking slots for electric vehicles and charging facility will be must in them. With 1.2 million vehicles (approx.), Chandigarh has the highest density of vehicles in India.
Dustbins for car drivers in city
The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation is mulling giving free dustbins to car users. These small dustbins can be kept in the car and will be given away at parking lots in the city. The corporation has proposed that these bins can either be sold at parking lots for `10 or `20 or will be gifted to drivers. The decision was taken at a meeting of the sanitation committee of the MC. The civic body plans to procure these bins under the corporate social responsibility model. The reason for giving these bins is that people can now stop rolling down their windows and throw out waste such as empty packets of chips.
A furniture museum in the offing
The first heritage furniture museum will be set up at the Government Printing Press in Sector 18. The Chandigarh administration has already prepared a blueprint. Around 100 items will be kept on display at the museum. The museum will help the administration stop further auction of furniture which is being smuggled and sold by auction houses all over the world. Besides the heritage furniture, the museum will also showcase vintage cars on the ground floor. The Department of Culture will contact owners of antique cars for displaying their vehicles at the museum.
Harpreet Bajwa
Our correspondent in Chandigarh
hsbajwa73@gmail.com