Dibrugarh: City bus service will be reintroduced in Dibrugarh town of Upper Assam after a gap five years.

The Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) has decided to reintroduce city bus service again in the town. Initially, two buses will be deployed and the number of buses will go up in keeping with public demand.

The superintendent of Dibrugarh ASTC station, Jayanta Bora, said they are going to ply two ultra-modern buses in Dibrugarh town after Bihu festival.

"It was a long-pending demand of residents of Dibrugarh to reintroduce city bus service. Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal wants to see buses plying in Dibrugarh town. Initially, we will run the service on two important routes. The number will be increased if the plan is successful," Bora said.

According to the plan, a bus will ply on the Dibrugarh railway station (Banipur)-Jokai route with stoppages at Naliapool, Grahambazar, Phool Bagan, Thana Chariali, Chowkidinghee Chariali, Milan Nagar and Thakur Than.

"We hope the step will be welcomed by commuters. The fare will be reasonable compared to that of autorickshaws and taxis. The buses will have ample space and so the ride will be comfortable," Bora added.

The second bus will ply on the Dibrugarh University-Assam Medical College route with stops at Amolapatty Chariali, Chiring Chapori, Chowkidinghee Chariali, Thana Chariali, KC Gogoi Road, Naliapool, Graham Bazar and Paltan Bazar.

"Dibrugarh is the first city in the Northeast to have introduced city bus service sometime in 1956 on the Marwaripatty-Barbari route with a fleet of five buses. Now the roads are congested because of three-wheelers. We, the senior citizens, have been demanding reintroduction of city buses which will benefit all," Ramprakash Gupta, a senior citizen of the town, said.

The last time city buses plied in the town was in 2013 after a long hiatus when the ASTC started plying two buses. However, for reasons unknown the buses were taken off the roads within a couple of months.

"Earlier, the district administration had decided to introduce a fleet of 20 city buses, but a section of three-wheelers' association protested and stalled the move," a source said. "We face lot of difficulties while going to Banipur railway station because no city bus service is available. The auto fare is high. If the city buses are reintroduced, it will be beneficial for us," Dipak Dey, a schoolteacher, said.