Shimla, Mar 22 (UNI) The Himachal Pradesh government will soon make a decision regarding the operation of approximately 600 Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) buses plying in Punjab, following an alleged incident of vandalism where the windscreens of three HRTC buses in a parking lot were damaged on Friday night.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, addressing the state assembly with a suo-motu statement, confirmed on Saturday that the recent incident was a retaliation for a previous case of vandalism that occurred in Kharar, where window screens of buses were damaged, leading to the arrest of three individuals after complaints by HRTC staff.

The three buses found with damaged windscreens in Punjab were parked at a bus stand, and it is reported that other buses are also being defaced by miscreants.

Agnihotri expressed concern over the targeted attacks on HRTC buses and assured that the government would take a decisive action to safeguard HRTC property and staff from further vandalism.

He explained that while the government initially chose not to escalate the matter after the Kharar incident, it seemed that the damage to windscreens was a direct response to the earlier arrests made in connection with the vandalism.

The state government is expected to make a final decision by the end of today on whether to continue operating the bus fleet in Punjab.

UNI ML SS