Amid lockdown, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari hints at resumption of public transport

On Wednesday, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari stated that the Centre was likely to allow the resumption of public transport soon. He was addressing members of Bus and Cars Operators Confederation of India through video conference. Since the commencement of the nationwide lockdown, public transport has been suspended across the country. According to Gadkari, the Union government is in the process of formulating guidelines pertaining to social distancing measures to check the spread of the novel coronavirus.

While acknowledging that this move would instill confidence among the people, he stressed the significance of adopting safety measures such as hand wash, face masks, etc. 

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Gadkari hints at adopting the London model of public transport

During this interaction, Gadkari observed that the Centre was fully aware of the problems faced by the passenger transport industry and would support them to mitigate their issues. Maintaining that the COVID-19 crisis had provided India an economic opportunity, he urged the industry to invite foreign companies to invest with them in the country. Moreover, he revealed that his Ministry was considering adopting the London model of public transport where the government investment is minimal while the private investment is promoted. On this occasion, members of the confederation made numerous suggestions such as restarting public transport, extending interest payment exemption, deferring state taxes, extending insurance policy validity, etc. 

Read: Delhi Government Issues Guidelines For Handling Of Passengers Under Vande Bharat Mission

COVID-19 crisis

Currently, there are 49,391 confirmed novel coronavirus cases out of which 14,183 patients have recovered while 1694 casualties have been reported. Earlier in the day, Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan held a meeting today with Gujarat Health Minister Nitin Patel and Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope to review the situation, actions, and preparedness for management of COVID-19 in both the states. As per the Ministry of Health, 1457 patients recovered in the last 24 hours, propelling India's COVID-19 recovery rate to 28.72%. Since Tuesday, 2958 fresh novel coronavirus cases have been reported in the country. 

Read: Coronavirus Live Updates: Total Cases Soar To 49391; 125 Deaths Reported In Last 24 Hours

Read: Finance Ministry Extends Annual Filing Of GST Till September 30 Amid Coronavirus Lockdown

(With PTI inputs)