The Hindu : Front Page : Now bus to Lahore from Amritsar

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 12, 2005

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Now bus to Lahore from Amritsar

Sarabjit Pandher

Trial run begins; the first bus from Lahore will arrive on December 23

HISTORIC LINK: The Amritsar-Lahore bus entering Pakistan at Wagah on Sunday. The two cities are being linked for the first time in nearly six decades. — Photo: AP

CHANDIGARH: History was made along the Radcliffe line, when the much-awaited trial run of the first Amritsar-Lahore bus service began on Sunday morning. The bus carrying nine passengers crossed over to Pakistan through the Wagah route.

The Immigrations officials at Wagah said the first nine aboard the bus christened "Punj-aab" were Punjab Transport Secretary A.K. Talwar; Director Narinderjit Singh; State Transport Commissioner Iqbal Singh Sidhu; Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar K.D.S. Bhullar; two drivers; two liaison officers and a Punjab Roadways official.

The 45-seater airconditioned bus, hired from a private company, began its journey from the Youth Hostel, which has been designated as the international terminal for the service. The bus will return on Monday morning.

Quake caused delay

A Punjab Roadways spokesman in Amritsar said the previous trial run scheduled for October 16 had to be postponed following the earthquake in Pakistan.

The regular service is scheduled to start on December 23 with the first bus arriving from Lahore. The first bus from Amritsar will depart on December 27. The State Government has requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to flag off the service.

The Punjab Government will invest Rs. 2.70 crore to buy four new buses exclusively for the service.

An official told reporters in Amritsar that the service would run between the Youth Hostel in Amritsar and Gulberg in Lahore, a distance of 45 km.

The Indian bus will leave every Tuesday and return the next day, while the Pakistani service will arrive on Friday and depart on Saturday.

The one-way fare will be Rs. 750 in Indian currency and Rs. 900 in Pakistani currency.

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