Following instructions from chief minister Mamata Banerjee to address the woes of the crisis of buses, the state transport minister Snehasis Chakraborty and senior department officials hit the city roads to take stock of the ground situation today.

The action came a few days after Miss Banerjee pulled up the minister and expressed concerns on alleged shortage of buses directing him to conduct ground surveys for identifying pockets that need to be provided with more such vehicles.

Advertisement

Sources in the state transport department informed that the West Bengal Transport Corporation that operates government buses in the city has decided to increase the trips of the state-run buses. From the earlier 3,300 trips, the department is now operating more than 4,100 trips. Even the fleet has been extended and now the department is to run 640 buses to address the issues of alleged transport woes faced by the commuters.

Mr Chakraborty also took note of the situation at various pockets in the city, particularly the IT hub and similar places. Based on the observation by the minister, the transport department’s secretary, Soumitra Mohan and other senior officials, the department would increase services in the identified pockets. The department is also considering increasing the number of drivers. As learnt from sources, a proposal to recruit 200 more drivers has been sent to the state secretariat for a nod.