Residents demand night bus service

SHIMLA: To press for their long-pending demand of starting night bus service in Shimla, 500 residents joined a rally organized by Shimla Nagrik Sabha on Monday.
Nagrik Sabha president Vijender Mehra said travellers coming from Delhi, Chandigarh or Manali face a hard time as they do not get any bus from new bus stand in Tuti Kandi to the old bus stand or other parts of city.He said except for the one last bus to Dahli at 9:30 pm and two buses to New-Shimla, no local buses run from old bus stand after 9 pm. He said residents of Totu, Jatogh, Summerhill, Bahrari, Panthaghati and Kusumpti, besides others, are helpless as that last bus is also not so regular.
"We met Shimla DSP traffic on Monday and asked him to implement the rule made in 2012 in which it was made compulsory for around 66 long-route HRTC and other buses to reach old bus stand at night so that residents living around the old bus stand can be facilitated," he added. He said that as no bus plies between the two bus stands after 10:30 pm, people are spending hundreds of rupees on taxis.
Shimla DSP (traffic) Amit Thakur said that some of the long-route Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) buses are already running to old bus stand and other states' buses are reaching the new bus stand. "However, we will look into the issue," he added. He said that the demand of residents is genuine.