1,000 buses on Delhi roads soon; SC, HC nod required
What's the story
If the Supreme Court and Delhi HC give permission, Delhi would soon see an additional 1,000 cluster buses plying on its roads, as the state Cabinet gave its in-principle nod to the project yesterday after a gap of 7 years.
Some cases on procuring buses are pending with the courts, which if cleared, will pave way for issuance of work orders for these buses.
Details
251 cluster buses on road by September: Kailash Gahlot
Absence of sufficient number of depots caused the delay in approving the project, informed deputy CM Manish Sisodia.
He added that now these non AC, standard-size CNG buses can be parked in the new depots that got constructed in the past three years.
The first lot of the cluster buses, 251 in number, will hit the roads in four months, said Transport minister Kailash Gahlot.
Enhanced measures
New cluster buses to have in-built safety features
Gahlot added that more depots are getting built, to accommodate another 1,000 DTC buses and 1,000 electric buses, talks of which are in advanced stage.
The government has set a target of 11,000 buses: 5,500 each for DTC and cluster scheme.
The new cluster buses will have safety features like three IP-based CCTV cameras, anti-skid mechanism, panic buttons and in-built GPS system, said Gahlot.
Year-end plans
More buses for Delhi: DTC to add 40 more
The cluster scheme is privately run by DIMTS and the operator is paid on per-kilometer basis, while revenues from ticket sales go to the government.
In the auction, the finalized bidders-Antony Garage Private Ltd, Kapoor Watch Company and Green City Transport-quoted Rs. 48.9-55.3 per kilometer, officials said.
Apart from 251 cluster buses, another 40 DTC-run buses will also start plying by the year-end.
Information
Delhi government's special focus on public transport system
5,600 buses ply on Delhi roads currently, with DIMTS running 1,648 cluster buses and DTC running almost 3,900. Apart from procuring more buses, a whopping Rs. 5,145cr has been allocated for transport sector. The AAP-led cabinet is surely focusing on strengthening its public transport network.