CHANDIGARH: Political gamesmanship sometimes ends up benefitting the people. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday announced that the state government would start luxurious Volvo bus services from different cities of the state to the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) in New Delhi from June 15.
The move is apparently aimed at breaking the monopoly of private bus operators, including the companies owned by a prominent political family. “We have got the mandate of people to serve the state by eliminating mafia. Our government has already curbed liquor mafia through our new excise policy and today I am happy to announce that now transport mafia will also be a thing of past,” Mann said in a video message.
He pointed out that for decades, only private transporters had run their buses on this route and looted the people by charging as per their whims and fancies. The CM said the NRIs coming to Punjab always complained to him asking why only private players had the right to ply buses on this route.
The luxury buses run by the government will charge less than half of the private transporters and give double facilities, Mann proclaimed. The bookings can be done through the websites of Punjab Roadways and PUNBUS. The time table of these buses will also be available on these websites.
Sources said these Volvo buses will ply between the IGI Airport and Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Patiala, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot and Chandigarh. Thee fare is likely to be in the range of Rs 800-Rs 1,400 as compared to Rs 1,600-Rs 2,600 charged by the private operators. Volvo buses from Punjab to the Delhi airport are being run mostly by companies owned by a powerful political family. The AAP had promised to break this monopoly.