The state government is going to launch a new bus service — ‘Antyodaya Sewa’ — to connect remote parts of rural areas with the district headquarters and state capital. For the first phase, the government has purchased a fleet of 50 buses, which will be flagged off by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath soon. Another 950 buses will be added to the fleet in the future. The bus service is being launched to mark the birth centenary celebrations of BJP ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyaya. The celebrations will conclude on Monday with a grand event in New Delhi. The buses purchased for the service will be saffron in colour and will carry a photograph of Upadhyaya. “Ideology of Antyodaya was given by Upadhyaya. That ideology with his photograph will reach people in remote villages through the bus service,” said a BJP leader. Sources said that the launch of the bus service was earlier planned for September 22, but it could not take place at the time since the chief minister was touring Varanasi following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit. Transport minister Swatantra Dev Singh said, “The bus service will be launched to connect villages at block level with the district headquarters. Some of the buses will also provide connectivity between the villages and state capital too. The fare will also be less than standard rates.” Singh said that 50 buses are stationed at the UP State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) workshop in Kanpur, where they are being painted. The fleet will be brought to Lucknow for a flagging off that is likely to take place on September 26 or 27, subject to Adityanath’s availability for the event. Villages of Mathura, Varanasi, Gorakhpur and fleet will be brought to Lucknow for a flagging off that is likely to take place on September 26 or 27, subject to Adityanath’s availability for the event. Villages of Mathura, Varanasi, Gorakhpur and Faizabad will be covered with the bus service in the first stage. In UP, an average of five buses is available to a population of 1 lakh, whereas the requirement is 20 buses for the same population. More buses will be purchased in the coming days to improve that average, said sources.
