VECTOR CONTROL UNIT TO PROTECT PILGRIMS FROM MOSQUITOES, FLIES

UPSRTC is also mass recruiting for 7188 positions of drivers and 15,000 conductors on contractual positions

- Kenneth John

LUCKNOW: The UP State Road Transport Corporation will be operating approximately 13,000 buses across the state, intercity and interstate, with almost 7,500 buses from the fleet specifically on Mahakumbh duty in Prayagraj in 2025.

With 2,335 interstate buses commuting passengers from eight cities, the UPSRTC may extend it by almost 300. Not only this, the UPSRTC has put in place several measures for the safety, comfort and convenience of passengers travelling to Prayagraj during this time.

Interstate buses likely be increased to 2654 The UPSRTC's buses run on 728 routes in around 280 cities of Delhi, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and even to Nepal. The UPSRTC is currently operating 2,335 buses on all of these routes combined, "But we can extend the buses to our maximum limit based on requirement, which is 2,654 buses," said managing director, UPSRTC, Masoom Ali Sarwar.

The highest number of 1,254 interstate buses are plying to and from Delhi followed by Uttarakhand with 730, and Haryana with 182. They can be increased to 1356, 905, and 211 buses respectively.

Temporary buses, stops and workshops The 7,500 buses on Mahakumbh duty will be allocated for different cities, with the highest number of buses, 600, deployed for duty to Ghazipur. The state capital has been allotted 400 buses.

"Eight temporary bus stations have been set up in the fair area for the convenience of the passengers, and temporary work shops are also being set up near all these bus stations," transport minister Dayashankar Singh said.

Moreover, 350 shuttle buses, and 200 electric buses, which will also be operating as shuttles, will be deployed in Prayagraj area for devotees for free commuting to bathing spots. All shuttles will also have the Mahakumbh logo pasted on the vehicles for easy identification.