Cooch Behar,, Sept. 23 -- Government bus services will resume on three border routes in Dinhata-Chowdhurihat, Shalmara and Kurshahat-from October 1, bringing relief to residents who have long demanded better public transport connectivity.
North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) buses will operate on the three routes, Dinhata MLA Ajay Roy said at a press conference on Wednesday.
"Residents of these areas had been demanding the resumption of government bus services for a long time. Government buses used to operate on these routes earlier, but the services were discontinued," Roy said.
According to Roy, residents repeatedly raised the issue with him during the election campaign and after the election results. The matter was subsequently discussed in the standing committee, following which a decision was taken to resume government bus services on the three routes.
He said efforts were being made to finalise the schedules so that people could conveniently commute to their workplaces. Initially, the buses are expected to operate in the morning between 8 am and 8.30 am, with an evening service around 5.30 pm.
Roy said the resumption of the services would benefit residents of the border villages, particularly those dependent on public transport for their daily commute.
"The service will benefit not only the general public but also women passengers," Roy said, adding that women would also be able to avail themselves of the free bus travel facility offered by the NBSTC.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.