Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday flagged off the Rajdhani Express, a new Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) bus service, which will connect Lucknow with all district headquarters.
During this, the Chief Minister asked the Transport department to work towards providing transportation to one lakh revenue villages in the upcoming days.
As many as 115 new buses, including 76 Rajdhani Express buses and 39 general buses for different routes, were flagged off while UP Rahi App was also launched for online reservations. A postage stamp was also issued on the occasion of completion of 50 years of the UPSRTC.
Congratulating the department on the completion of 50 years of UPSRTC, Yogi said, “UPSRTC is working towards a new, glorious journey while cherishing its golden journey in this first year of Amrit Kaal. Prior to Holi, new accomplishments will be added to the journey that was begun 50 years ago to facilitate the easy and smooth travel of 25 crore people.”
Lauding the works of the UPSRTC, he said that the role of the Corporation during the Prayagraj Kumbh and the Covid pandemic was commendable. “The 45-day Kumbh festival drew 24 crore devotees. For this purpose, the state government provided 5,000 new buses to the fleet of the UPSRTC and it did an excellent job of facilitating the devotees’ journey,” he said.
The CM said, “On the other hand, when the lockdown was implemented on March 25, 2020, during the worst pandemic of the century, Covid, thousands of labourers and workers from various states of the nation, including Delhi, Punjab, and Maharashtra, left for their homes. Thousands gathered in Delhi and other border areas. At that juncture, we called a meeting of the UPSRTC. The department stated that they have a fleet of between 12,000 and 14,000 buses. The UPSRTC’s drivers and operators started sending everyone to their destinations right away.”
He said that while people were attempting to save their own lives, UPSRTC employees worked side by side with the administration without giving a thought to their own safety. “The world appreciated it. Throughout the crisis, the UP government did a wonderful job,” he said.
Yogi said, “During that period 500 buses were sent to Kota to transport the stranded students safely. The drivers and conductors transported 15,000 students home. About 4,500 students were also brought from Uttarakhand. The UPSRTC proved that they stand by people in difficult times.”
Stating that 150 new buses have arrived on Holi, he said, “The good news is that these buses are being made in the UPSRTC workshop. To purchase 1000 brand-new buses, we gave Rs 400 crore. Additionally, Rs 100 crore was allocated to build bus stops on the lines of airports.”
The CM asked the department to give the general public good bus service and guarantee a hassle-free trip during festivals.
Maintaining that there are 1 lakh revenue villages in UP, he said, “In all those villages, the UPSRTC can provide better service than the railway and airport. The UPSRTC must contact the Tourism and Revenue Department. Dhabas and hotels should be developed, so that people can use them. You can provide thousands of young people with employment opportunities by having this facility available in 100,000 locations.”
Yogi said, “UPSRTC has a lot of opportunities. Connect every district, more than 350 tehsils, 825 development blocks and 762 municipal bodies with bus service. You can have even 30-seater buses in small villages.”
He said that the buses should be clean and the safety of the citizens should be taken care of. “There should be regular medical checkups of the driver-operator. For this, the UPSRTC should sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Health Department.
Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak and Minister of State for Transport Daya Shankar Singh were present on the occasion.
