Cooch Behar, Sept. 16 -- Minister of State for Transport Anandamoy Barman visited Cooch Behar for the first time on Wednesday after taking charge of the department, announcing plans to expand the North Bengal State Transport Corporation's (NBSTC) bus fleet and develop modern bus terminals across North Bengal.
Barman visited the NBSTC transport building on the banks of Sagardighi, accompanied by NBSTC Managing Director Ashwini Kumar Roy, Cooch Behar North MLA Sukumar Roy and senior officials.
Before entering the building, Barman garlanded the statue of Maharaja Jagaddipendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur. He later held a meeting with officials and MLAs to review the corporation's services, bus fleet, staff shortage and infrastructure. Speaking after the meeting, Barman said the transport corporation was established before Independence on the initiative of the Maharaja of Cooch Behar. "Currently, initiatives have been taken to increase the number of buses to further improve passenger services. An application has already been made to the state government to increase the number of buses. More buses will be added to the company's fleet before the Puja," he said. The minister also announced plans to identify unused NBSTC land in different districts of North Bengal and develop modern bus terminals with upgraded infrastructure.
Barman also highlighted the corporation's staff shortage. He said the NBSTC requires around 30,000 employees, while only about 3,000 permanent employees are currently working. Services are being managed with the help of temporary employees, he said. The state government is considering steps to fill vacant posts, Barman added.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.