Cong MLA flags high BRTS fare with FM

Chandigarh, February 20

Finance Minister Manpreet Badal said on the floor of the House that the state government was ready to relook at the fare of bus rapid transit system (BRTS) in Amritsar. Punjab Bus Metro Society that runs the BRTS is plying 93 buses in the holy city.

Replying to a query by Congress MLA Sunil Datti during the question hour, Manpreet said though the fare of the BRTS was among the lowest as compared to other cities, the government would review it. He said the service was free for school students and highly subsidised for college students (66 per cent) and senior citizens (50 per cent).

Datti said though initially the BRTS had huge passenger load, it soon lost traffic as the fare was on the higher side. He demanded that the bus fare needed to be rationalised. The minister informed the House that bus fare was earlier reduced on April 23, 2019.

AAP MLA Kultar Sandhwan said fatal accidents due to stray cattle were on the rise. He said Rs 300 crore collected as cow cess by the Animal Welfare Board should be used to tackle the issue. He said large tracts of land was left as grazing pastures, but it had been illegally occupied. — TNS