Uttar Pradesh roadways buses to not operate at night due to dense fog, check new timings HERE

The bus services have been restricted to ensure the safety of passengers and the reduction of accidents because of the dense fog on the highways in Uttar Pradesh, reports ANI.

The Uttar Pradesh Transport Department made significant choices on Tuesday to reduce the impact of the fog in the state. On sections of road affected by fog, UPSRTC won't run any buses. On the affected route, the bus service will stop entirely between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. (the following day). The managing director (MD) of UPSRTC, Sanjay Kumar, gave the order to suspend running buses on routes where there is reported fog. The buses will be parked at the closest halts, whether they are bus stops, dhabas, police stations, gas stations, or toll plazas along the route, and will resume their journey once the fog has cleared.

"Transport Corporation buses will not run at night in UP. Decision taken to prevent accidents due to fog, online reservation of night services has been postponed for the next 1 month for the safety of passengers. UP transport buses will operate after the fog clears," said the MD of Uttar Pradesh Transport Corporation, Sanjay Kumar. 

Through a video conferencing MD, Uttar Pradesh Transport Corporation, Sanjay Kumar gave clear instructions that operations should never be done at night to prevent accidents in view of fog.

"And to ensure this, all Regional Managers / Service Managers / Assistant Regional Managers will camp at bus stations from 8:00 pm to 12:00 pm so that passengers do not face any kind of inconvenience," said Sanjay Kumar. 

Just so you know, the buses will stop at the stations and hotels on the way till the fog sets in. Station stalls and restaurants will remain open even at night."The bus should be parked at the nearest bus stand/safe place if fog is found during the operation. Due to fog, online reservation of night services is suspended for the next 1 month for the safety of passengers, and there will be zero tolerance for accidents due to fog," he said.

Earlier on December 20, India Meteorological Department forecasted dense to very dense fog conditions over Punjab, Haryana Chandigarh, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh in the early morning hours of Tuesday and predicted it to improve gradually. While dense fog enveloped the nation this morning, low visibility was also reported from Lodhi Road, Safdarjung, Airport flyover, and AIIMS.

According to IMD, fog-induced very low visibility was reported on Tuesday till 5:30 am from Bathinda (00), Amritsar, Ganganagar, Patiala, Delhi (Palam), and Lucknow (25), and Purnea (50m), Ambala and Agra (200m), Gorakhpur (300m), Bareilly, Patna, Gaya and Kolkata (500m). In Uttar Pradesh, dense Fog engulfed Kanpur this morning also. People were seen warming up near bonfires. IMD forecasted `Very dense Fog` for Kanpur for Tuesday, with the minimum temperatures being 7 degrees Celsius. 

(With inputs from ANI)