Chandigarh, May 8 -- Punjab governor and UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria on Thursday flagged off 40 new interstate buses for the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU), calling for a broader push to connect the city with district headquarters across Punjab and Haryana. Fresh services have been introduced on the Chandigarh-Amritsar route, while multiple trips on the high-demand Chandigarh-Delhi corridor have been resumed and scheduled throughout the day and early morning hours. New and restored connectivity also includes routes to Kotdwar, Rishikesh, Ludhiana, Bathinda, Rohtak, Jaipur, Joginder Nagar, Palwal, Patti, Safidon, Dinanagar, Haridwar, Talwandi Sabo and Sonipat. The addition, officials said, takes CTU's total fleet strength to 657 buses, with 259 now operating on long routes beyond the city and 398 on local circuits. Addressing officials and staff, Kataria framed the expansion as part of a longer institutional arc-from a fleet of just 30 buses six decades ago to a network that now serves as a regional mobility backbone. Alongside fleet expansion, CTU is preparing to roll out an Intelligent Transport System (ITS) for long-route buses, aimed at improving tracking, scheduling and service reliability. The system has been approved by the Union ministry of road transport and highways. The governor also called for a collective public action to achieve the goals of a TB-free India and a drug-free Punjab, while addressing the third edition of the health, beauty & wellness symposium organised by ASSOCHAM in Chandigarh. Emphasising participation, Kataria urged stakeholders to contribute through awareness drives in anti-drug campaigns....