Centre allows states, UTs to hire buses for transportation of train passengers

The Centre on Thursday allowed states and union territories to hire special buses to ferry train passengers from stations where public and private vehicles are not available to their destinations.

In a letter to all state governments and Union Territory administrations, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said some of the state governments have requested to allow special buses to ferry passengers arriving by train to their home, keeping in view restrictions placed on public and personal transport in various zones.

"Keeping in view the situation, state and Union Territory governments are allowed to engage special buses from railway stations wherever public or personal transport is not available, maintaining proper social distancing norms," Bhalla said.

The home secretary also said that under the standard operating protocol issued by the home ministry, to and fro movement of passengers from railway station to home has been allowed on the basis of confirmed e-tickets.

The central government has resumed the train services connecting New Delhi with15 destinations in different parts of the country beginning Tuesday.

The Indian Railways is also running several hundred trains from various parts of the country to transport migrant labourers to states like West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.