Bangalore: You can go sight-seeing around the city and its environs now in style. The first of the five specially designed tour coaches with an open upper deck were launched on Friday by Mayor Mumtaz Begum and Principal Secretary for Tourism I.M. Vittal Murthy near the Vidhana Soudha. With these buses on hand, the Tourism Department is also planning to expand its "weekend getaway" packages around Bangalore. For now, these double-decker buses touch different destinations such as Vidhana Soudha, Raj Bhavan, Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat, Cubbon Park, Government Museum, Cauvery Emporium and Mayo Hall. There will be live commentary describing the sights along the way and during halts. To these will be added interesting anecdotes and snippets of the city's history. The tickets are priced Rs. 300 for adults and Rs. 150 for children. For booking tickets, call Ph: 25580660. Mr. Vittal Murthy said for the "weekend getaway" packages, the Tourism Department had identified nearly 40 spots around and near the city such as Nandi Hills and scenic spots along the course of the Cauvery. Most of these places now lacked basic infrastructure and even public toilets, and work to provide the amenities for tourists would be started within a year, he said.

The Mayor and other VIPs later took a ride on one of the new buses. At times they had to duck their heads to avoid overhanging branches. The civic body has now begun the exercise of pruning trees.

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