Work on bus route on schedule: Sayeed

The work on the infrastructure on the Indian side for a bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad will be completed by March 31, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed said on Monday.

"I have personally monitored the ongoing work at Uri [northern Kashmir] and it will be completed by March 31 so that
the bus connecting two parts of Kashmir will run on April 7 as scheduled," he told reporters after meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi.

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The chief minister said the bus, to be flagged off by the prime minister, will initially run once in a fortnight. Later, it will converted into a weekly service.

Asked whether Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf will travel by the inaugural bus, Syeed said:

"There was no discussion on this. The government has already welcomed his desire to watch a cricket match in our country. It depends on him what route he takes."

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The chief minister said priority in travelling by the bus will be given to people belonging to the divided families across the line of control.

Asked whether leaders of the separatist All Parties Hurriyat Conference will be allowed to travel too by the bus, Sayeed said anyone who meet the requirements will be allowed to go.

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Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus will boost trade