The Hindu : Tickets issued for Lahore bus

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 09, 2003

Front Page

Front Page

Tickets issued for Lahore bus

By Our Staff Reporter

The Delhi Transport Minister, Ajay Makan, handing over the first ticket for the resumed Delhi-Lahore bus service in New Delhi on Tuesday. — PTI

NEW DELHI JULY 8. While a lot had waited for the past year for resumption of the Delhi-Lahore bus service, it was Mohammad Abdullah of Jammu and Kashmir who bought the first ticket to Lahore.

Giving away the first ticket at the Ambedkar Stadium Terminal was the Delhi Transport Minister, Ajay Maken. His Government had done everything possible to ensure that the buses hit the road at the earliest, he claimed.

For Abdullah it was a pleasant surprise. ``I am going to Rawalpindi to meet my sister,'' he said, adding that the travel would save him a lot of money.

Abdullah was lucky to hog the limelight, as Chandrashekhar Kulkarni from Mumbai, who was actually issued ticket number one, did not turn up.

Another person who attracted media interest was Sunil Lalwani of Indore. Born and brought up in Larkana area of Sindh in Pakistan, he had migrated to India in 1987 and set up a steel and iron business. ``We are Hindus but our family had not been able to migrate during Partition and so 99 per cent of my relatives are in Pakistan,'' he said.

Noting that this father, a doctor, wanted him to establish himself in India, Sunil said even after marrying a Pakistani, Sangeeta, he had moved here and subsequently applied for Indian citizenship, which he duly received.

While Sunil is not travelling to Pakistan, his parents — Jeomal Lalwani and Meera Bai — who had come over to India two years ago will be returning ``home'' on July 30.

A number of people flocked to the booking office.

While some managed to procure the tickets on valid visas, others had to go to the Pakistan High Commission to get the ``bus'' visa for undertaking the journey.

Incidentally, while there is lot of euphoria among the ordinary people with respect to restoration of the bus service, the official response is rather subdued.

As yet there are no grand plans for a flag-off and unlike last time when the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, had taken the inaugural bus to Lahore, this time there are no important persons lined up for the ride.

Related Stories:
Pak. nod for bus service from July 11

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

Stories in this Section

Pak. sets terms for resuming air links

Secretary-level talks ruled out

Twins die on operation table

Tickets issued for Lahore bus

POTA panel begins review

India slides down the index

BJP chief rejects VHP's demand

115 killed in plane crash

Hearing deferred

Hearing begins