Bus services in Gurugram could be hit on Thursday and Friday with at least 100 of the city’s 150 public buses likely to be deployed to Jind, Haryana, for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s event, officials said on Wednesday.
Event Context
On Friday, PM Modi is scheduled to flag-off the country’s first hydrogen-powered locomotive, following which he will address a public rally. A senior Gurugram Metropolitan City Bus Limited (GMCBL) official said that they have received official the depot manager to deploy 125 buses for the event in Jind from Thursday.
“These buses will carry people from various areas of Jind and neighbouring locations to the venue. After the event ends, these buses will take the people back to their designated drop-off locations and return to Gurugram for resuming routine services from Saturday. City bus services may remain affected in Gurugram due to the scenario on Thursday as well as Friday,” said the official, asking not to be named.
The GMCBL currently operates the only 150 low-floor CNG public buses that run in the city — 100 from a depot in sector 10 and another 50 from the sector 52 depot. The buses run across at least 23 routes in Gurugram, carrying around 80,000 to 90,000 passengers daily.
Player Focus
Confirming the development, depot manager Naresh Kumar told HT that, though the official communication to them is to deploy 125 out of 150 buses, things were still unclear. “By Thursday morning, it will be clear exactly how many city buses will be deployed for Friday’s event,” he added.
However, HT’s queries about who had officially directed this deployment were not answered.
Apart from the 150 buses, the Faridabad Metropolitan Development Authority operates 50 more GMCBL buses in Faridabad. With these, the buses cover a total of 33 routes across the two cities.
Match Outlook
Vishwajeet Chaudhary, GMCBL chief executive officer, who is also the additional CEO of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), said buses will be deployed for the Prime Minister’s rally, but adequate services will be maintained to minimise inconvenience to commuters in Gurugram. “We are analysing the routes from which the buses could be made available for the rally,” he added.
The GMCBL official quoted above further said that for now they have been directed over the phone to keep at least 20 buses operating from the sector 10 depot ready for being deployed for the event. “By 9am on Thursday, we expect it will become clear on exactly number of buses will have to be deployed,” he said.
GMCBL officials said that the drivers, conductors, supporting staff along with necessary equipment and spares required for any necessary repair work will also be deployed with the buses in Jind, as per the official directions. To be sure, HT has not seen the official communication.
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According to its official website, GMCBL was incorporated on September 5, 2017, as a Special Purpose Vehicle under the Companies Act, 2013, with GMDA holding a 50% stake, Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) 40% and Haryana State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) 10%, to manage and operate Gurugram’s city bus transport system.
