Patiala, September 30:
The Punjab government is continuously taking important steps to further strengthen PRTC, provide better travel facilities to the common people and increase the income of the department. Under this series, according to the people-friendly thinking of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and the guidelines of Transport Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, work is progressing rapidly to modernize bus stands, depots and other infrastructure and develop new sources of income along with expansion of PRTC’s bus fleet.
Giving information about these initiatives, PRTC Chairman Advocate Harpal Juneja said during a press conference today that 100 new junior PRTC (mid-size) buses of its own ownership are being added to the PRTC fleet. Out of these, 10 buses have reached the head office, while 40 buses will reach in the next two days and the remaining 50 buses will also be added to the PRTC fleet by around October 20 and out of these total 100 buses, maximum buses will be operated from the old bus stand in Patiala so that people of all classes can get convenience. Apart from this, 309 new ordinary big buses of its own ownership will also be added to the PRTC fleet soon. In this way, with a major expansion in the PRTC bus fleet, the way will be paved to provide more and smoother transportation facilities to the passengers on various routes.
Chairman Juneja said that 254 buses have already been added to the bus fleet under the kilometer scheme by PRTC, which has helped in meeting the needs of public transport in various areas. This increase in the number of buses is an important step towards expanding the services of PRTC as well as providing more transport facilities to the people as per their needs.
Similarly, PRTC is also paying special attention to strengthening the infrastructure. The new bus stand of Patiala has been operated on O&M (Operate and Maintenance) basis, which will increase the income of the department and provide better facilities to the passengers. Along with this, construction and infrastructure related works are in progress to re-open the old bus stand Patiala. With the re-opening of the old bus stand, it is expected that along with providing more convenient travel facilities to the people, local commercial activities will also get a boost.
Harpal Juneja said that the construction work of a modern and technologically equipped bus stand in Bathinda through PPP mode is also in progress. Apart from this, the work related to the renovation of Talwandi Sabo bus stand, Budhlada workshop and bus stand is also progressing rapidly. Through these projects, the infrastructure of PRTC will be further improved and the services will be expanded.
Chairman Juneja said that instead of limiting PRTC to bus service only, special attention is also being paid to develop new sources of income for the organization by better utilizing its available assets and resources. Under this, efforts are being made to increase income and further strengthen the organization financially through projects like Verka Milk Plant, Solar Rooftop System and Retail Outlet/Petrol Pump.
Chairman PRTC Harpal Juneja said that in order to develop PRTC as a strong, modern, self-reliant and people-friendly transport organization, expansion of bus fleet, increase in passenger facilities, renovation of infrastructure and generation of new sources of income are being taken forward simultaneously. He said that these works will continue continuously to further improve the services of PRTC and provide smooth and convenient travel facilities to the common people.
