Indian bus replaced to transport 26 Pak-bound passengers

The Delhi-Lahore bus, which developed a technical snag while it was crossing Ambala Cantt here, was taken to the Haryana Roadways workshop in Ambala City.

The "front studs" of the left wheel of the bus cracked, official sources said, adding that since the spare part was not available here, the authorities decided to shift the passengers to a Haryana Roadways bus for their journey till the Indo-Pak border at Attari near Amritsar.

Three crew members of the Pakistani bus have also gone in the Indian bus leaving their vehicle here, the sources said adding Pakistan Embassy in New Delhi had also been informed.

Since the replaced bus does not have the permit enter Pakistan, a further decision on mode of transporting the Lahore bound passengers, which includes eight women and two children, would be taken at Attari in consultation with Pak authorities, sources said.

A strong posse of policemen was deployed around the bus and the workshop.

No passenger has been allowed to disembark, they said.

The bus was running over three hours behind schedule when it left Ambala City after a thorough check of the passengers and the replaced bus which had arrived from Chandigarh.

The Delhi-Lahore bus, also known as Sada-e-Sarhad, was officially launched on March 16, 1999.