GUWAHATI: Stepping towards a pollution-free Assam, the first compressed natural gas (CNG) fuelled bus was flagged off during a ceremony at Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) office at Chowkidinghee in Dibrugarh on Thursday by the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Pallav Gopal Jha.
Dibrugarh is the first district in Assam to have a CNG-operated bus service.
The development comes within three months after the first CNG station of Assam was inaugurated by chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal at Chowkidingee in Dibrugarh.
The bus, owned and operated by ASTC, will be plying from the city to Mulukgaon via Lahoal, Dikom and Chabua town.
Stating it as a historic moment, DC Pallav Gopal Jha said that it is a step towards a pollution-free transport system in the district and he is hopeful that operation of the CNG bus will attract others to switch over to CNG. He also stated that efforts are on to introduce more such buses in the district in near future.
The ceremony was attended by Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Ranjit Konwar; ASTC Chief Engineer Bolin Das; Chief Commercial Manager, ASTC, Muruli Bora; Divisional Superintendent, ASTC, Tinsukia Division, Mitradev Changkakoti; and DTO, Dibrugarh, Sadananda Gogoi.
The DC also inaugurated two more buses during the ceremony. These buses will operate from Assam Medical College (AMC) to Brahmaputra Cracker Polymers Limited (BCPL) via Dibrugarh University, with each bus expected to accomplish 5 trips per day along the said route. The starting departure time has been fixed as 7 am, 9 am, 11 am, 1 pm, 3 pm & 5 pm with base station between AMC and BCPL.
