Punjab Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar defends Ludhiana Bus Stand leasing, assuring full transparency and boosting government revenue.

According to Punjab Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, the allegations of bias or irregularities surrounding the leasing of various areas of Ludhiana Bus Stand are unfounded. He claims that the entire facility was leased prior to December 10, 2021, but that various areas of the facility are now leased. According to him, other bus stops throughout Punjab have also been leased along the same lines, and this policy has been in place since the previous administrations.

According to the Transport Minister, the Wellsampan Company completed the construction of the Ludhiana bus terminal in 2006 under BOT (Bundle Operate and Transfer), and he urged people to avoid spreading false information. This business ran the bus stop on a BOT basis until 2016. Following this, the Mess. LRY Company was once more granted the Ludhiana bus stop in 2018 on a maintenance, operation, and transfer (MOT) basis.

He stated that the concession fee owed by the Mess. LRY company was not deposited with the department because of the 2020 Corona pandemic. As a result, the department suspended the company’s agreement, and as of December 10, 2021, Punbus was performing the maintenance of the bus stand Ludhiana on its own initiative.

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He added that the department also handles the bus stand fee collecting on its own level. 15 workers (conductors-sub-inspectors) were stationed at various locations across the bus stand near the depot in order to collect this fee. These workers collected the bus stand charge every day, and the department covered many of their expenditures, including wages and stationery.

In accordance with directives from the head office, the depot held eight online e-auctions to pay the bus stand charge on contract, according to Laljit Singh Bhullar.

In light of this, an online auction was held on August 1, 2025. In all, four bidders took part in this online e-auction, and Arjun Yadav & Company placed the highest bid of Rs. 4401000 + GST, or 51,93,180. Two installments of Rs. 100298340 (one crore two lakh ninety eight thousand three hundred forty rupees) have been placed into the Advance Depot’s account by Arjun Yadav & Company.

This company and I have an agreement for the Adda fee that will last for six months, or until we take up the whole bus stand contract. As directed by the government, the MSTC Company has carried out the complete advance e-auction process. Following the outsourcing of Adda Fee Collection, the depot’s conductor and sub-inspector employees who were assigned to the task were returned to their previous responsibilities.

Laljit Singh Bhullar added that in order to guarantee effectiveness and openness, the Transport Department held seven electronic auctions for the contractual leasing of Adda. The highest bidder in the eighth and most recent auction, which took place on August 1, 2025, was Arjan Yadav & Company (#156, New Grain Market, Salim Tabri, Ludhiana-141008, Punjab). Therefore, after a clear and defined procedure, the successful bidder has made the required deposit. He advised that the contractor has assumed responsibility for collecting bus stand fees as per the agreement, effective November 1, 2025.

Laljit Singh Bhullar promised that all actions were performed in compliance with the regulations and with the highest transparency. The choice to outsource Adda fee collecting was made in order to streamline the procedure, lessen administrative strain, and increase government revenue. He also reaffirmed his pledge to serve Punjab’s citizens honestly and completely.