LAHORE, Dec 14: An eight-member delegation of the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation on board the Lahore-Amritsar returned after inspecting facilities for passengers en route as well as at the bus terminal.

The bus carrying a delegation, led by PTDC managing director Hashim Khan, crossed over Wagah border into Pakistan at 3.36pm on Wednesday.

Talking to reporters at the border, Mr Khan said the trial run of the bus was successful as the delegation inspected route, terminal as well as stay facilities for the bus crew.

He said the total run of the bus between Lahore and Amritsar bus terminals would be around 65 kilometres. He said the bus terminal in Amritsar was better than that of the PTDC’s in Gulberg.

Answering a question, he said the formal dates for the regular bus service would be finalized at a meeting between the PTDC and the Indian Bus Service delegation in Islamabad on Dec 21. He said the proposed schedule for the Lahore-Amritsar bus operation on Dec 23 was unlikely to be followed, as all modalities would be finalized on Dec 21 and then those would be advertized for the information of the general public. It might take more than two days for a person to get a visa for Amritsar, he added.

Answering another question about the bus fare, Mr Khan said the bus fare from Lahore-Amritsar would be Rs900 and Amritsar-Lahore Rs700. He said the currency change brought the fare value at equal level.

Responding to a question that this fare was quite high compared to Lahore-Delhi bus fare of Rs1,500, which had a run of some 540 kilometres and include a breakfast, Mr Khan said no profit was involved in the Lahore-Amritsar bus service.

He said the fare had been fixed on a no-profit basis with an assumption that each bus would go to Amritsar packed to its capacity. “Whenever the bus would go with vacant seats, it will cause loss to the PTDC,” he said.

About Nankana Sahib and Amritsar bus service, he said this issue would also be discussed at the Dec 21 meeting.

Referring to the establishment of visa offices in Lahore and Amritsar on his own, Mr Khan said this issue was related to Pakistan and Indian governments.

The eight-member delegation included Punjab Tourism Secretary Hasan Nawaz Tarar and District Coordination Officer Khalid Sultan.