Ludhiana: BJP leader Jiwan Gupta has taken a swipe at the municipal corporation over the dilapidated state of the city bus fleet, sarcastically suggesting that the parking site be turned into a museum. Dozens of buses, once part of the Ludhiana City Bus Service Ltd, are rotting away at Hambran Road and Tajpur Road, slowly turning into scrap.Gupta pointed out that the buses were purchased under a Central govt scheme during the SAD-BJP tenure to provide affordable transport. However, he alleged that the subsequent Congress and AAP govts neglected the service, allowing the vehicles to decay. He urged the MC to either repair the buses for public use or sell them off as scrap rather than letting them waste away.The situation is complicated by a long-standing legal battle between the civic body and a private operator. Because of this “legal tussle,” officials say they are unable to touch the buses parked near the Tehsildar office on Hambran Road.Additionally, 37 other dilapidated buses are parked at Tajpur Road. While these are not tied up in the legal dispute, the MC’s repeated attempts to auction them as scrap have failed to yield any results.A senior MC official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, expressed helplessness, stating that no action can be taken on the Hambran Road fleet until the court decides the matter.
