Kolkata, 13 October (H.S.) : Public transport in the industrial city of Durgapur marked a major transition on Tuesday with the South Bengal State Transport Corporation (SBSTC) rolling out a fleet of five new electric buses. Building upon the earlier introduction of two electric minibuses in the city, the newly launched air-conditioned vehicles represent a concerted push toward sustainable, eco-friendly urban mobility.

The formal flag-off ceremony took place on Tuesday morning at the City Centre bus stand in the presence of SBSTC Managing Director Pranab Kumar Ghosh and local MLAs Lakshman Ghorui and Chandrasekhar Bandyopadhyay.

According to transport officials, the buses will cater to local intra-city routes while also operating on the inter-city corridor connecting Durgapur and Asansol. Plans are also underway to extend electric bus services from Durgapur to Burdwan in the subsequent phase. Designed with modern amenities, the air-conditioned buses focus heavily on passenger comfort and safety.

Procured with financial assistance from the central government's National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), the buses aim to curb vehicular emissions across the industrial belt.

Addressing the gathering, SBSTC Managing Director Pranab Kumar Ghosh assured that fare structures would remain affordable for regular commuters. He noted that the state administration intends to induct more electric buses in the coming days to effectively combat urban pollution, leveraging green transit initiatives to modernise the regional transport network.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh