Patna: In a major relief for migrant workers and other passengers travelling home for Chhath Puja, the state govt on Thursday launched 155 special inter-state buses connecting key cities of the state with destinations in neighbouring states.Transport minister Damodar Rawat flagged off the special services from the Phulwarisharif bus depot and said the Bihar State Road Transport Corporation (BSRTC) had already extended subsidies worth Rs 6 lakh on ticket bookings for the festival season. A total of 746 tickets were booked between Nov 1 and 5.The special buses will operate from Nov 5 to 20, linking Patna, Muzaffarpur, Gaya, Purnia, Darbhanga and Bhagalpur divisions with Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Jharkhand. Of the 155 buses, 32 will be run directly by BSRTC, while 123 will operate under the public-private partnership (PPP) model. The fleet includes AC, non-AC, seater and sleeper buses. Passengers will also be provided drinking water and curd during the journey.Delhi will receive the highest number of services with 77 buses, followed by Haryana with 60. Jharkhand will be served by 12 buses, while Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal will get three buses each. Rawat said the number of special buses would soon be increased to 200 to meet the growing festive travel demand.Transport department secretary Raj Kumar said the initiative reflected the vision of CM Samrat Choudhary and the transport department to reconnect people with their roots during festivals. He added that similar arrangements would be made during Prakash Parv, with large-scale inter-state bus operations linking Bihar with other states.BSRTC administrator Atul Kumar, state transport commissioner Arif Ahsan, transport officials, agency representatives and passengers were present at the flag-off ceremony.
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