As Raksha Bandhan gift, UP announces free bus travel for women and one companion

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday directed that female passengers, along with one companion, be allowed to travel free of charge on Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation buses from the night of August 27 to the night of August 28 on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. He asked the Transport Department, police and administration to work together so that women could reach their homes safely and conveniently for the festival.

At a meeting with senior government officials at his residence, the Chief Minister also reviewed waterlogging and flood conditions in the state, transport arrangements for Raksha Bandhan, sugar availability, the upcoming sugarcane crushing season and the status of school facilities, according to a government statement.

Adityanath directed that 'Anti-Romeo Squads' remain active to ensure women's safety and said traffic management should be optimised on major routes. He also issued instructions on the screening and monitoring of bus drivers, saying no driver under the influence of intoxicants should be allowed to operate a bus.

He ordered the verification of private bus drivers and said that, along with the verification of auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers, necessary steps should be taken to ensure the safety of female passengers. The Transport and Police departments, he said, must coordinate to ensure safe and smooth travel during Raksha Bandhan.

Reviewing waterlogging across several divisions and districts, the Chief Minister sought details on affected areas and the reasons behind them from the divisional commissioners of Prayagraj, Varanasi, Lucknow, Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Meerut, Saharanpur and Ghaziabad, as well as from the Noida Authority. He said there should be no unnecessary waterlogging and directed that low-lying areas be identified and additional pumping stations set up wherever needed.

Drains where water flow is blocked by silt, garbage or other reasons must be cleaned immediately, he said. He also directed mayors and chairpersons of municipal councils and town panchayats to inspect waterlogging and sanitation arrangements in the field with local councillors, and ordered that encroachments on drains be identified and removed at once.

Adityanath also reviewed the situation in the state's 19 flood-affected districts and sought updates on flood conditions and relief work from the district magistrates of Ballia, Gonda, Bahraich, Barabanki, Farrukhabad and Lakhimpur Kheri. He directed all District Magistrates to remain fully alert, ensure district control rooms stay continuously active and ordered round-the-clock monitoring of all districts from the headquarters level. The meeting focused on festival travel arrangements, women's safety, waterlogging, floods and the state's preparedness on these fronts.