The Banglashree Express bus service between Kolkata and the district headquarters was flagged off by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today.
The air-conditioned Volvo bus service has been named such by the Chief Minister herself. The buses were flagged off in front of Nabanna. The decision to start the bus service was taken last March.
Twenty-two trauma care air-conditioned ambulances and 13 mechanical wrecker vans were also flagged off along with the buses.
The State Transport Department has already introduced 300 buses and there are projects in the pipeline to introduce more. In the beginning of June, five air-conditioned Volvo buses were introduced from Kolkata (Esplanade bus stand) to different places in north Bengal.
During the inauguration programme, the Chief Minister gave a short speech. Here are the highlights of her speech:
- This new bus service is an effort on the Government’s part to extend another facility for the public. The Banglashree bus service would ensure that people face much less problem in travelling from far-off places to Kolkata.
- The mechanical wrecker vans would be used to recover cars which have broken down. Ideally one should check properly the condition of one’s car before venturing out.
- One ‘Safe Drive Save Life’ sticker each would be stuck on the front and back of cars.to create more awareness about safe driving. The stickers would be in English, Bengali and Hindi. From July 18 to August 15, small children would be pasting the stickers.
- Say and do things which reach the people at the grassroots. Our government always tries to do things in innovative ways, to take the fruits of development to all levels of society.
- Though we don’t have high-speed trains, we have started high-speed buses. Before the Pujas, we are going to start running 80 SC buses all over Kolkata.
