Patiala: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Monday flagged off 100 new 29-seater mini buses for the Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) fleet in Patiala, saying the buses will connect the state's villages with its cities and make travel easier for rural residents, Bright Punjab Express reported.
Source: Bright Punjab Express
Mann announced the induction in a post on X: "Strengthening Punjab's transport infrastructure, today we added 100 new mini buses to the PRTC fleet in Patiala. These buses will specifically connect our villages with cities, making travel more convenient for rural residents." The Chief Minister's own post is the primary source for his announcement.
Source: Bright Punjab Express
The 100 mini buses will run on rural and small-town routes through PRTC's nine depots, including Patiala, Bathinda, Chandigarh, Sangrur, Barnala, Budhlada, Kapurthala, Faridkot and Ludhiana, the report said. School and college students and daily commuters travelling to cities for work and business are expected to benefit.
Source: Bright Punjab Express
Mann said another 309 large buses would join the fleet next month. He said the mini-bus induction would generate employment for around 150 youth, and 15 young people were handed offer letters for jobs in the transport department at the event.
Source: Bright Punjab Express
"Public transport is not merely a means of travelling from one place to another; it is a lifeline for rural communities," Mann told the media after the flag-off, according to the report. "Just as we have ensured that canal water reaches every field, we will ensure that buses reach every village in Punjab."
Source: Bright Punjab Express
Speaking to the media after the event, Mann also appealed to the family of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota to perform his last rites, saying most of the family's demands had been accepted, and said Punjab Police were doing their duty in the Moga firing case, which the DGP was monitoring, The North News reported.
Source: The North News