In what may be termed as a breakthrough in terms of transportation, Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) on Friday has inducted 20 premium Mercedez-Benz buses in the state.
According to an official statement, the inducted buses will operate between LGBI Airport, Guwahati and Silchar, Dibrugarh & Jorhat respectively. New day services have also been started between Dhubri – Guwahati, Lakhimpur – Tezpur routes and in the hilly regions of Haflong and Diphu to Hojai.
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal flagged off the buses from Assam Administrative Staff College during the inauguration program held on Friday. The event was also attended by Transport Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, legal advisor to CM Shantanu Bharali, ASTC Chairman and Vice Chairman Ashok Kr. Bhattarai and Dr. K K Dwivedi respectively Commissioner & Secretary Department of Transport, Govt. of Assam and Shri Anand Prakash Tiwari.
CM Sonowal expressed his great satisfaction at this achievement of ASTC and urged them to focus on time as it is of utmost importance in the field of transportation. He also appreciated ASTC for its dedicated service to citizens of Assam during the lockdown period.
"ASTC needs to be further strengthened. Time is of utmost importance and needs to be focused on. ASTC should ensure timely transportation of passengers," said CM Sonowal during the event.
"I am proud of the transport department and the corporation for its achievement. Working in unison is the only way to go forward. Smart cities require smart choices and Guwahati is slowly turning into one," he added.
Transport minister Chandra Mohan Patowary congratulated ASTC for tremendous service rendered during the lockdown period for interstate transportation as well as inter-district transportation to send the citizens to their homes free of cost. He has also added that significant revenue has been realized per month by ASTC for the Buses plying in PPP mode from ONGC.
It may be mentioned that ASTC has purchased these buses entirely from its own funds without any Government support. While 20 of these premium AC category buses were bought initially, 20 more will be bought after a month.
