State-owned luxury buses to travel up to Delhi airport: Punjab CM

Chandigarh: Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday announced to start luxurious Volvo buses from Punjab to the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi from June 15.

”We have got the mandate of the people to serve the state by eliminating the mafia. Our government has already curbed the liquor mafia through our new excise policy and today I am happy to announce that now the transport mafia will also be a thing of past”, the chief minister said in a video message while announcing the start of the Volvo bus service.

Mann bemoaned that for decades only private transporters had run their buses on this route and ”looted the people by charging according to their own whims and fancies”.

He said that these people monopolised the trade and exploited the people.

The chief minister said that a number of NRIs who came to Punjab from abroad had always complained to him that why only private players have the right to ply buses on this route and why not government buses are running on them.

He said that bringing an end to the transport mafia, the ”pro-people government of Punjab will run these super luxurious buses” that will charge less than half of what the passengers have to pay to the private transporters and give double facilities than them.

He said the booking of these buses can be easily done from websites of Punjab Roadways and PUNBUS.

Mann said that the timetable of these buses, to and fro, will also be available on these websites.

Vowing to restore the pristine glory of the state, the chief minister said that Punjab will soon be a top-ranking state in the country.

”Gone are the days when taxpayers’ money was plundered by the leaders and deposited in banks, now this money will be judiciously used for the welfare of the common man,” he said.

Mann further sought support and cooperation from people to ensure holistic development of the state.