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Bengal

Blast from the past: Double-decker buses to ply again in City of Joy soon

Kolkata: In its bid to further improve bus services in the city, the state Transport department is all set to reintroduce the iconic double-decker buses soon.

According to a senior official of the Transport department, the double-decker buses would be plied on an experimental basis in the city in March. Two new double-decker buses, which have been designed at the Transport department's workshop, will hit the streets at the initial level.

According to primary plans, the double-decker buses may be used for tourism purpose before they are used for commuting people regularly. The transport department officials have however been sceptical about the proposals on how the routes would be determined. The buses which will be used for tourism services will have open roofs.

The double-decker bus was introduced in 1926 during the British rule. The first double-decker bus plied between Shyambazar and Kalighat. The double-decker buses were phased out in around 1998, after being in service for almost 70 years. It was learnt that before plying the double-decker buses, the state government needs to take clearance from the Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT). A proposal has been sent in this regard.

The state Transport department has been waiting for the final nod which is expected soon. There are no approved models for double-decker buses since no Indian manufacturer makes such buses.

The two buses would be run on diesel initially while in future there are plans to ply these buses on CNG or electricity. The looks of these buses would be very much similar to that of which are found in London. It may be mentioned here that state government had earlier tried to run double-decker buses in the city in recent past but the idea did not materialise.

"Formalities are going on for completing of the certification. Once we get clearance from the CIRT, two double-decker buses will be plied in the city on an experimental basis," a senior official of the department said.

The Calcutta State Transport Corporation (CSTC), which is now known as WBTC following the merger of three state Transport undertakings, used to run double-deckers in the past on a few routes which include L9, L20B, 2, 2B, 5, 6. The only city in the country that now has double-decker buses in its public transportation fleet is Mumbai.

Narayan Swaroop Nigam, Secretary of the state Transport department said there is a plan to run double-deckers n the city in the next month.

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