Dehradun: Following the Almora bus accident, Uttarakhand transport corporation has started assessing the requirement of buses for regular bus services in the hill areas. As per the preliminary assessment, there is an immediate need of at least 600 buses to create a regular bus network in the hill region.
With the help of these buses, transport services which the Uttarakhand transport corporation provides, will be available in major areas of the hill. However, it is still a difficult task for the corporation to connect with small link roads in the hills.
Shortage of Uttarakhand transport corporation’s buses for the hill areas
The special campaign jointly launched by the two departments- police and transport- to put a check on the problem of “overloading” has also brought the poor network of bus services in the hill areas of the state. Meanwhile, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dami has given clear instructions to assess the requirement of buses for making a regular network of transport. He has made it clear that the state government would purchase new buses in case of the need of Uttarakhand transport corporation.
Uttarakhand transport corporation will soon submit its report to the state government
Keeping three options in mind, Uttarakhand transport corporation is currently working on the plans to improve its bus network in the hill areas. According to managing director of Uttarakhand transport corporation Anand Srivastava, the corporation will soon submit its report to the state government in this regard. As per the report, the corporation has purchased 130 buses while there is a proposal to buy 100 buses.
High demand for the buses of Uttarakhand transport corporation in the hills
There is continuous demand for running the buses of Uttarakhand transport corporation in the state’s both the region- Garhwal and Kumaon. Such demands were received by the corporation from at least 103 areas in the recent past. The problem with the corporation is shortage of buses to fulfill the demand. Rajya Nigam Karamchari-Adhikari Mahasangh has demanded the state government to provide 1000 buses to the corporation to improve bus-services in the hill areas. The Mahasangh said availability of enough buses with the corporation will help check on the growing number of bus accidents in the hill areas.
