India News | Services Resume, Lucknow's Bus Stands Come to Life

Lucknow, Jun 1 (PTI) Arriving at Lucknow's Alambagh bus depot, Bhaskar Singh, a sales executive, was happy to hear familiar calls of a bus conductor trying to attract passengers bound for 'Illahabad'.

Singh was going back to Allahabad to resume work after more than two months following the Holi holidays and the subsequent nationwide lockdown imposed to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.

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The driver and the conductor of the bus wore face masks and gloves and passengers also were asked to wear masks.

Singh was among many others who took the bus journey after the intra-state bus services in Uttar Pradesh resumed at the end of the fourth phase of the coronavirus lockdown on Monday.

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Alambagh, Nahariya Chauraha, VIP Road and Rae Bareli road tri-section, which had virtually turned into zones of silence following the imposition of lockdown, witnessed a flurry of activities and clamourous honking of vehicles.

Regional Manager of Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation P K Bose told PTI that following the resumption of intra-state bus services, as many as 40 buses left from Alambagh bus stand to various places, including Allahabad, Sultanpur, Pratapgarh.

The buses left for Allahabad at around 8.30 am, he said.

In Lucknow, three bus stations -- Alamabgh, Kaisarbagh and Charbagh -- were made operational, the UPSRTC said in a statement.

The Charbagh bus station is catering to Kanpur-bound buses. Buses for Sitapur, Lakhimpur, Gola, Hardoi, Bahraich, Gonda and Balrampur departed from Kaisarbagh bus station, it said.

From Alambagh bus station, buses are operating for Allahabad, Raebareli, Lalganj, Fatehpur, Sultanpur, Agra, Mathura, Jhansi, Banda, Hamirpur, Pratapgarh, Gorakhpur, Azamgarh and Ghaziabad (till Kaushambi), it said.

Bose said the buses were operating with full seating capacity.

At Hazratganj crossing, a police towing vehicle was also seen moving towards Lalbagh. Shopkeepers in Hewett Road, Model House and Maqboolganj localities of Lucknow were also seen cleaning shops, so that they can gradually resume business activities in the coming days.

In Allahabad, shops in Civil Lines opened, and the Hanuman Mandir Chauraha, which wore a deserted look since Holi, witnessed movement of people and vehicles.

Shops in Banda also opened on Monday and UPSRTC buses to other districts of the state also started plying, officials said.

The fourth phase of the nationwide lockdown ended on Sunday.

The Centre on Saturday announced broad guidelines on restriction and relaxations which will be in place up to June 30. The states have been allowed to come up with their own specific guidelines based on Centre's order.  

Meanwhile, chairing a high-level meeting of senior Uttar Pradesh government officials at his residence, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said effective surveillance will help in resumption of various activities including intra-state bus services.

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