Coronavirus lockdown: Public transport may resume soon with guidelines, says Nitin Gadkari

Chances of resumption of public transport facilities brightened on Wednesday with two union ministers indicated towards a staggered emergence from the lockdown with certain restrictions soon.

Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, addressing a meeting of the Bus and Car Operators Confederation of India, said public transport may open soon with some guidelines.

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"Public transport is likely to resume soon ... Guidelines will be there," he said addressing the event through video conferencing.

Gadkari said that the opening of transport and highways would go a long way in instilling confidence among the public and cautioned towards maintaining social distancing and adopting all safety measures such as washing hands, use of face masks while operating buses and cars.

Similarly, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said the government would start examining the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic around May 15 before taking a decision on resumption of flights.

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According to officials, the government was examining the possibility of resumption of public transport in green and orange zones with reduced passenger capacity with an intention to maintain physical distancing.

“In the month of May, say after 15th of May we will start critically examining these things and we may probably open up in a calibrated manner by starting 25% of the sector,” Puri said in an interview to India Today.

Earlier, the Civil Aviation Minister had told reporters the flights could start between two green zones but had made it clear that it would be difficult to start flights connecting two red zones.

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India had banned international flights since March 22 and shut down domestic operations from March 25 and the government announced a nationwide lockdown to arrest the spread of COVID-19. The flight operations remain suspended till May 17, when the lockdown 3.0 would remain in force.

Regarding the economic crisis, Gadkari also asked investors and the industry to convert the coronavirus-induced crisis into an opportunity by occupying a larger global market.

"Economy is facing crisis due to coronavirus outbreak... We should treat it as a blessing in disguise as no one wants to deal with China. Japan's PM is facilitating industry there to do investment out of China... It is a chance to boost the Indian economy," the minister said.

He said that the Indian industry should grasp this opportunity to invite those foreign companies to invest with them in India. He expressed confidence that the country and its industry will together win both the battles - the one with coronavirus, and the one with economic slowdown.

Responding to concerns raised by the operators, the minister informed that his ministry is looking at adopting the London model of public transport, where government funding is minimal and private investment is promoted.

He also pointed out towards the poor standards of Indian bus and truck bodies which he said, are functional for only 5-7 years, whereas the European models last for up to 15 years.

Gadkari emphasised upon adopting good practices from European operators, which will also be economically viable for indigenous industry in the longer run.

The Minister said, he is aware of the tight financial condition of the Indian market during the ongoing pandemic. But, he said, all stakeholders will have to work together to combat it.

Members of the confederation made suggestions for improving the condition of public transport which include extending interest payment exemptions, restarting public transport, extending age life limit, deferring state taxes, extending Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) benefits, extending insurance policy validity, etc.

The minister also said that the insurance sector should come forward to help as it has benefitted due to less accidents during the lockdown.

He further said work on many highway projects has resumed.

While extending the lockdown last week, the government had made certain relaxations in green zones – districts that have not reported Covid-19 cases – by allowing movement of private vehicles and taxi services with limitation on number of passengers.

(With inputs from PTI)