UP scouting pvt sector in tourism, transport through friendly policies

Uttar Pradesh (UP) is scripting a new story in two of the major sectors of transport and tourism by actively scouting private sector in modernising its 54 bus depots, connecting 12,800 villages via regular bus service, controlling pollution through a fleet of electric buses, and enhancing subsidy for setting up not only large five-star hotels but even small homestays, Transport Minister Dayashankar Singh and Tourism Minister Jaiveer Singh said.

- BS REPORTER

Participating in a fireside chat with Business Standard Editorial Director A K Bhattacharya on the sidelines of the Samriddhi Event in Lucknow on Wednesday, the two ministers said that improved law and order, and a sense of security are the bedrock on which the state’s whole transformation in transport and tourism sectors is based upon.

Minister Dayashankar said that in UP, tenders have been issued for 1,540 new routes in which the private sector has been asked to actively participate. “We have made a special arrangement that drivers, cleaners, and conductors belong to the destination village or tehsil, so that they don’t have to travel long (to reach their homes) the next day,” he said.

‘UP Transport Corporation is one of the few state transport corporations in the country that has been incurring profit for the last two financial years.

“My plan is that by the time this tenure (of the government) ends in 2027, UP Transport Corporation should have ₹10,000 crore in fixed deposit, and a healthy financial situation, so that it never comes under any stress,” he said.

The transport minister said that the Corporation has set up 82 scrap centres at which 26,000 vehicles have been scrapped so far.