Agreement for the operation of Lahore-Delhi bus service will be renewed at New Delhi on February 17.
Managing Director Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) Malik Mohammad Habib and Chief of Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) Sardar A. J. S. Sahney said while addressing a joint press conference here on Friday.
Referring to his meeting with Pakistani counterpart in Islamabad, the Indian delegation chief Sahney said fares of Lahore-Delhi bus service would be revised after the renewal of the protocol in February next.
The revised bus fare from Delhi to Lahore coming into effect after February 17 would be Rs 1,250 instead of current fare of Rs 800.
Managing Director, PTDC, Habib announced that existing fare of Rs 950 being charged from the passengers travelling from Lahore to Delhi would also be enhanced to Rs 1,500.
Mentioning the reason for increasing fare, the Indian DTC chief said same had been enhanced in view of escalating prices of fuel and disparity in money value, contributed to revise the fare which what he called, would be retained for five years, he assured.
Sahney further said India was acquiring more new buses to include in the existing bus fleet to facilitate passengers of bus service.
MD, PTDC, Malik Habib said that bus service was getting popular every day and drawing huge rush with the passage of time, which could be measured from the fact that passengers have to book seats at least one month before.
He said in view of large volume of passengers one more bus would be inducted in the existing fleet of Lahore-Delhi bus service.
He said although extra bus would not be a permanent feature but would be used only to cater emergency requirements of passengers temporarily, when needed.
To a question Sardar stressed the need for frequent people-to-people contact between two countries and said basic objective of his organisation was to provide maximum facilities to the travelling people to make their journey more comfortable and memorable one, he maintained.
He further said that issue of much-demanding return tickets for passengers was also discussed with Pakistani authorities and added it had now been decided to reserve six seats in every bus to accommodate passengers having return tickets.
"Number of seats to accommodate reserve ticket holders can be increased further," the DTC chief Sardar assured.
He was of the view that burden on Lahore-Delhi bus service would further lessen after the resumption of air and rail link between the two countries, he added.
He said beginning of Lahore-Delhi bus service in 1999 provided solid ground for confidence building measures (CBM) between two neighbouring countries.
He said during his visit to Islamabad he discussed operational measures and said that next meeting would be held in the Indian capital sometime during second week of next month in which Lahore-Delhi protocol would be renewed.
Sardar said technical meetings of experts from both countries had already held in New Delhi recently.
Responding to another question about concession in bus fare to the journalists of Saarc countries, the DTC chief said no such proposal was in offing, he concluded.
Sardar Sahney headed the six-member Indian delegation, which included Vikas Swaroop, Director Ministry of External Affairs, P. K. Pathak, Director Ministry of Home Affairs, K. K. Jindal Joint Commissioner, Transport Department, Manoj Agarwal, Chief General Manager, DTC and Vivek Ashish, Section Officer, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways India.
Pakistani delegation included Asghar Shafqat, Deputy Managing Director PTDC, Saeed Anwar, Manager Pak-Tourism, Ghazanfar Mehdi, Deputy Managing Director PTDC, Atique Ahmed, Director Road Transport Ministry of Communication, Tahawar Hussain, Deputy Secretary Ministry of Interior, Tariq Zamir, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Qasim Abbas.
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