New Delhi, December 22: In a major boost to connectivity in India, a World Bank study has identified 75 bus routes in India that would enhance passenger mobility across the nation. The study says the 75 bus routes includes Delhi-Shimla, Delhi-Agra-Lucknow and Hyderabad-Bengaluru routes. The other routes identified also include Lucknow-Gorakhpur, Bangalore-Mangalore, Udaipur-Kota and Cuttack-Kolkata. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on Thursday said that the World Bank study has identified 75 routes which have low passenger share of buses and high overall passenger car unit (PCU) count.
“The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has instituted a study under World Bank Technical Assistance (WBTA-27) for passenger mobility enhancement,” the Ministry said in a statement. The Ministry was quoted by PTI saying that there is a greater share of private vehicles as compared to buses on these routes. The study assessed all India traffic survey data and toll data covering major corridors in the country to identify these routes.
In the last week, the World Bank approved a loan worth USD 40 million for a tourism project for Uttar Pradesh. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) will grant the loan which has a 5-year grace period, and maturity term of 19 years. As per reports, the Uttar Pradesh Pro-Poor Tourism Development Project will support the state government’s priority of re-structuring tourism in a way that optimizes the state assets in an inclusive and sustainable manner directly benefiting poor residents and local entrepreneurs, such as rickshaw drivers, local artisans and street vendors.