State to introduce 270 new buses; Darjeeling, Dooars in main focus

MP | 25 May 2017| Kolkata: In a bid to ensure better connectivity between different points in tourist spots, the state Transport department has decided to introduce a set of new buses in Darjeeling, Dooars and Murshidabad.

Suvendu Adhjikari, the state Transport minister, said in the Assembly on Wednesday: "Decision has been taken to buy a total number of 270 buses. Out of these buses, eight will be plying in Darjeeling and four each in Dooars and Murshidabad."

The 270 buses will be operated by the West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC), South Bengal State Transport Corporation (SBSTC) and North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC).

The 270 buses include air-conditioned mini-buses, air-conditioned deluxe buses, 10 CNG buses and four electric buses.

Mainly mini-buses that can easily ply on the hilly terrain will be bought for Darjeeling. Thousands of people visit the places round the year and with several steps taken by the Mamata Banerjee government in the past six years, these locations have become immensely popular among people from different states and even abroad.

The footfall has increased in all the these places and at the same time, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has taken different measures to ensure an overall development of the Hills. Thus, beside tourists, common people of the area will also be immensely benefitted with the decision to introduce the additional fleet of buses.

It may be mentioned that most of the buses will be having all modern arrangements to avoid any untoward incident in the bus. There will be panic button using which a passenger can alert policemen or concerned authorities if he or she falls in any untoward situation while travelling or if there is any emergency situation in the bus. There will also be CCTV cameras inside the buses.

Notably, the buses will be GPS-enabled. Thus tracking of the realtime location of the buses will be an added advantage.