Public Transport May Open with imposed guidelines: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday stated that public transport services are likely to resume operations soon and that the government is in the process of formulating guidelines in adherence to social distancing norms to stem the spread of Covid-19.
Addressing members of Bus and Car Operators Confederation of India through videoconferencing, Gadkari said, the opening of transport and highways would go a long way in instilling confidence in the public. However, he stressed that social distance had to be maintained and safety measures like hand wash, sanitizing, face masks should be adopted while operating buses and cars.
Assuaging the concerns of the passenger transport industry, Gadkari said the government is fully aware of their problems and that it will fully support them to mitigate their issues. He further said he is in regular touch with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman regarding the issue.
The government had imposed a lockdown on 25 March, which led to the suspension of all modes of public transport.
While the government has allowed movement of private vehicles with certain restrictions, public transport, such as metros, trains and buses, are yet to resume.
Gadkari added that the ministry was looking at adopting the London model of public transport, where government funding is minimal and private investment is promoted. He said the poor standards of Indian bus and truck bodies meant that they worked for only 5-7 years, whereas European models lasted up to 15 years.
“For example, to address health concerns in mass transit, what type of health and safety initiatives have been taken, whether it is in the form of sanitizing vehicles, training staff to monitor the health of passengers, adopting new technology to integrate health and travel records or provisioning social distancing principles in public transportation,” said Mohammad Athar, partner infrastructure and urban transport at PwC India.
The government has already offered relief from some of the restrictions, especially in green zones where there are no instances of coronavirus. The state governments, which decided on the specifics, have allowed some industrial sectors to operate and standalone shops to open.
