Inter-state bus services resume in Delhi; guidelines announced

The interstate bus services in Delhi have resumed from Tuesday onwards as the three interstate bus terminals (ISBTs) in the national capital reopened after being shut for more than seven months. The Delhi's ISBT was closed because of the nationwide lockdown due to coronavirus (Covid-19). However, the buses coming from different states will be capped at 50 percent of pre-Covid times. Also Read | Punjab government allows Inter-State movement of buses As per the report, around 145 buses with over 5,800 passengers from the neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh (UP), Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand arrived in Delhi till 9:30 am on Tuesday. The Delhi transport minister Kailash Gahlot reviewed the preparations made ahead of the resumption of interstate bus services in Delhi. He asked the officials to ensure strict compliance of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) ahead of the opening of Delhi's ISBT. Also Read | Bharat Biotech to launch India’s first coronavirus vaccine ‘Covaxin’ in this quarter Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Chandigarh are the states that run their buses to and from Delhi. The decision to reopen the ISBTs was taken on October 23 during a meeting of Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) chaired by lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal. Here are all the SOPs that need to be followed:

• The interstate buses will be sanitised at the point of origin and before their departure from the respective ISBTs.
• Thermal checking of passengers and the bus crew before boarding and at the point of entry to ISBTs has been mandated.

• Wear face masks is mandatory. The buses will run to their seating capacity as no passengers will be allowed to stand.
• The social distancing to be ensured at the ground station, at the time of boarding and inside the bus.

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