Punjab’s Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister, Tarunpreet Singh Sond, has clarified that there is currently no proposal to restart the Jal bus service. He stated that certain media reports suggested that the Punjab government is attempting to relaunch the Jal bus parked at Harike in the Ranjit Sagar Lake.
Sond dismissed these reports as baseless and false, calling them mere rumors. The Tourism Minister criticized the previous governments for spending approximately Rs. 8.63 crore on the Jal bus project, calling it a poor decision that placed an unnecessary financial burden on the people of Punjab.
He stated that the Jal bus was a symbol of corruption and is currently under investigation. He further emphasized that the bus is not fit for operation and that the possibility of a major accident cannot be ruled out if it were to be relaunched.
Minister Sond assured that under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the government would not make any decisions that could harm the lives or finances of the people of Punjab. He urged the public not to believe any media reports suggesting that the Jal bus would be restarted, as the current government is committed to the welfare and development of the people.
He also pointed out that the Jal bus was a loss-making venture, as previous governments spent crores from the state treasury on it, while its revenue barely reached thousands. He reiterated that the Jal bus is entirely unfit for operation and would not be relaunched under any circumstances.
Sond concluded by calling the Jal bus a “super fail” project, resulting from poor decisions by past governments, which led to the waste of public funds that could have been utilized for welfare schemes.