Bhopal, June 2 (IANS) In a women-friendly initiative ahead of the forthcoming festival of Raksha Bandhan, the Madhya Pradesh government is set to introduce a new public transport scheme that promises safe, convenient, and reliable travel for females across the state.
The state government is preparing to roll out the Chief Minister Easy Transport Service (Mukhyamantri Sugam Parivahan Seva), with a special focus on enabling women to travel comfortably in state-run buses during the festival.
The scheme aims to address the long-standing shortage of public transport, particularly in rural and remote areas, where people have often been forced to risk their lives travelling in overloaded commercial vehicles.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on his X account said that while the service will be symbolically launched for Raksha Bandhan, a comprehensive strategy is being developed for its phased expansion across the state.
The government plans to revive and strengthen public transport infrastructure, “which had seen a decline during the previous Congress regime”. “With improved road connectivity, electricity, and water supply in villages, the time is now ripe to restore efficient bus services,” he said.
The scheme will be implemented in phases, beginning with high-demand routes. Operations under both the Chief Minister Easy Transport Service and the Central government’s PM e-Bus Seva will commence first in the Indore region from July.
The Atal Indore City Transport Service Limited (AICTSL) will oversee all bus operations across the entire Indore Division.
In the initial phase, three categories of buses will operate from Indore. These include intercity routes connecting Indore to other districts in Madhya Pradesh on 121 routes with 608 buses, city and suburban services within Indore on 28 routes, and interstate routes to neighbouring states, including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh on 101 routes with 276 buses.
Additionally, 150 electric buses under PM e-Bus Seva will begin plying in Indore city from July.
State-wide, the government has identified 620 routes linking seven regional headquarters to district headquarters, on which 2,432 buses will operate.
Across all seven regions, a total of 1,164 routes and 5,206 buses are planned under the scheme.
The initiative is expected to significantly boost women’s mobility, improve connectivity, and provide a major push to organised public transport in Madhya Pradesh.
By offering safe travel options, the government hopes to ensure that this Raksha Bandhan becomes memorable for sisters, allowing them to travel with dignity and security.
