HRTC providing transport services in H.P despite rendering heavy losses : Dy CM
Shimla, Dec 23
The Himachal Pradesh Government stated in the state assembly on Saturday that a fleet of around 3200 buses is providing the best transport services despite incurring heavy losses to the state. Replying to a query raised by Dr. Janak Raj during the question hour, Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri, who also holds the portfolio of Transport in the state, said that members should not defame the HRTC by stating that its services frequently break down on the road.
The members should realize that HRTC renders its services at a significant loss as buses are the only mode of transport to ferry people from one remote area to another. The state government is trying to facilitate every assembly segment, and new buses are being replaced in a phased manner. He mentioned that members should encourage the transport to provide their best services, as HRTC is going beyond its capacity to extend its fleet and coverage area in the hill state. Nine old buses will be replaced in the Chamba district, and the fleet is gradually being increased.
He mentioned that the state government, facing financial crises, has to share the loss of HRTC, but a large number of services are already available on the Bharmour and Chamba route. He emphasized that members should realize that a number of services are available on Chamba-Bharmour routes, and sometimes buses may break down, which is a natural process with every motor vehicle. Blame should not be pushed on the HRTC for negligence in services. He assured the members that old buses would be replaced in Chamba as new buses become available in the future.
Earlier, raising this query in the house, Dr. Janak Raj stated that the people of the tribal Bharmour area are suffering due to a lack of services and frequent breakdowns of HRTC buses. He mentioned that he received a call in the middle of the night recently that a Delhi-Bharmour bus broke down on the road in the darkness of the night, forcing passengers to walk several kilometers on foot.
Dr. Raj demanded that buses should be provided to the HRTC Bharmour depot to replace the old buses and extra buses should be provided in case of breakdowns in the hard area. Speaker Kuldeep Singh Panthania stated that the government should allot more new buses to the Chamba district, keeping the large hard area in mind. The Transport Minister said that he would provide new buses to replace the old bus fleet soon, but members from the other side should also cooperate in running the operations of the HRTC in their respective areas.
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