In preparation for the Lok Sabha elections, the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) has intensified its efforts to deploy over 7,000 buses to transport security forces to polling booths across the state in all the seven phases of the polls.

In response to the Uttar Pradesh Police’s demand, the Transport Corporation is ensuring bus arrangements for paramilitary forces and police personnel during all seven phases of the elections, officials said here on Tuesday.

The Election Commission has deployed a substantial contingent of security forces at every polling station. To facilitate the smooth transportation of these security personnel to their designated polling stations, the Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) has requested the Transport Corporation to provide buses.

Inspector General of Police ( Law and Order) L R Kumar has requested the Managing Director of Transport Corporation in a letter, to provide 7,051 buses for ferrying security forces to the polling stations in all seven phases of the elections.

The demand for buses from the Transport Corporation varies for each phase of the elections. For the first phase on April 19, a request for 608 buses was made, followed by a demand for 657 buses for April 26 polling. The third phase on May 7 requires 901 buses, while the fourth phase on May 13 necessitates 1,235 buses. Similarly, the fifth phase on May 20 calls for 1,249 buses, the sixth phase on May 25 requires 1,265 buses, and for the final phase scheduled for June 1, as many as 1136 buses were requested.

With the help of these buses, it will be easier to transport many paramilitary forces and police personnel to the polling stations, ensuring the completion of the voting process under complete security.

The letter outlines that once a bus departs carrying a team of security personnel, it will remain assigned to that group for subsequent phases until it returns to its original district. Following the phase-wise elections, some police forces from the electoral districts will return to their original appointed districts. Meanwhile, new police forces will be sent to certain districts, necessitating the return of some buses and the addition of new ones.

Additionally, a 10 per cent reserve of vehicles will be required to avoid a crisis during breakdowns. The requested buses are expected to be in good condition, with proper cleanliness, glass doors, and windows. The letter specifies a need for 52-seater buses with 45 soldiers per bus seating arrangement.