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P Paiwang Konyak flags off Mokokchung’s City Bus Service, at the NST station in Mokokchung on Saturday.[/caption]
Our Correspondent
Mokokchung, Jan. 26 (EMN): The minister of Transport, P Paiwang Konyak flagged off the Mokokchung City Bus Service, with dedicatory prayer pronounced by Rev P Chuba, associate pastor of Mokokchung Town Baptist Church, at the NST
station in Mokokchung on Saturday.
Right after flagging off the service, the minister called a press conference during which he informed the Press that the department was providing three buses on trial basis. ‘This City Bus Service is on trial basis, first launched in the hill district of Mokokchung. If Mokokchung is successful it will be given to the rest of the hill districts in the state. Therefore, I want this City Bus service to be successful here,” he said.
Further, Konyak said that the City Bus service was ‘very clear about providing free rides to senior citizens above 60 years of age, and special consideration to People with Disability, and charging less fares compared to private operators.
Konyak lamented that the students’ organization has not come forward with any request or representation for the student community regarding the service even though it was meant to bring benefits to students.
He said that the buses will run on time to help school and college students; people can trust the services provided by the government. He said that the Dimapur City Bus service gained its base within two weeks. However, the Pink Bus programme had some shortcomings but it has been solved; now ‘even men are allowed to travel in the Pink buses along with women.’
The minister said that “the experimental city bus service started in Dimapur is more successful compared to Pink Bus Service.” He said that the City Bus Service launched on Saturday is ‘purely’ for the convenience of the citizens, to utilize it properly. The success of the service depends on the public of the town, he reminded.
The minister appealed to the stakeholders of Mokokchung to make a master plan for stops and pick-up points to cover the periphery of the town, and check on bus operators as well.
“People should come forward to expose the wrongdoing/misdoing of officers and staffs, so that department can check and take certain steps to avoid misdoing,” he said. He thanked Minister Metsubo Jamir for agreeing to offer the municipal buses to his department to purchase, and to Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio who supported his proposal in the Cabinet.
The NST’s general manager said that the buses each have a capacity of 35 seats excluding the driver and the conductor. The service was launched to mitigate the need of the people of Mokokchung in terms of parking space, and economy.
Officials informed that the bus service will operate from 6 am to 6 pm and be operational Monday to Saturday every week. The city bus fare would be INR 5 (up to 2km), INR 10 (up to 5km), INR 15 (up to 10km).
The deputy commissioner of Mokokchung Rajesh Soundararajan, and the Ao Senden’s President Chubawati Longchar also spoke at the event.
