Chandigarh, Mar 30 (PTI) Punjab Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar on Wednesday said that all bus permits would be put online soon.

During a meeting with the general managers of all bus depots, he asserted that this decision was being taken in view of the need to bring more transparency in the functioning of the transport department.

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"All the bus permits would be put online soon to root out the bus mafia from the state," he said, according to an official statement.

He instructed Principal Secretary, Transport, K Siva Prasad, to expedite the process of getting the permits online at the earliest.

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The minister also directed officials to tighten the noose around those private buses operating illegally from outside bus stands.

The statement said that Bhullar told depot general managers that the department has already conferred the powers upon them to stop the illegal buses within the ambit of 500 meters of bus stands.

Focusing on increasing income of the department, Bhullar directed officials to end irregularities and said that he was receiving reports of bus fuel pilferage.

"Therefore, the general managers should ensure a minimum mileage of 4.8 km per litre from each bus," he said.

He directed the general managers to take action for recovery against those drivers, who will not achieve mileage targets.

The minister directed that the student bus passes should be made in a hassle-free and time-bound manner.

He said that the pending cases of student passes should be resolved immediately.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)