LAHORE, July 1: The Punjab government on Monday took notice of hijacking of a private transport company’ buses by a group of students for joy ride, directing the police and Lahore Transport Company officials to ensure safety and security of the city’s urban bus operation.

An official told Dawn that some senior Punjab government officials telephoned the police and LTC top officials and directed them to make foolproof security arrangements for the smooth operation of the entire buses plying on various routes of the provincial metropolis.

Meanwhile, a senior staffer of the Busco Company, whose buses were hijacked on Sunday, said that the LTC officials contacted his firm’s administration and assured it of full support.

LTC Manager (Operations) Faisal Nisar told this reporter that his company had taken a serious notice of the incident by taking up the issue with senior police officials. “Besides this we have also advised our own enforcement wing to coordinate with police while dealing with such a situation,” he added.