[sustran] 1,600 'scrapped' buses still on roads in Delhi

[Vinay Baindur]

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/1862206/report-1600-scrapped-buses-still-on-roads
1,600 'scrapped' buses still on roads
Wednesday, Jul 17, 2013, 14:51 IST | Agency: DNA
  Shashi Bhushan <http://www.dnaindia.com/authors/shashi-bhushan>

   If you commute by DTC buses, you could be putting your life at risk.
This is because the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) continues to operate
more than 1,600 ‘scrapped’ buses that have more than lived out their lives.

Even though the buses have been declared unfit to ply on the streets for
more than a decade, they continue to be on roads thanks to the
Corporation’s indifferent attitude in phasing out the ‘ghost’ buses and
bringing in new ones.

The city requires an estimated 11,000 buses for its transport needs. The
Corporation runs 5,399 buses of which 1,624 are standard floor buses that
were to have been phased out because the buses have either completed eight
years on road or travelled 6 lakh km.

“These standard floor buses meet both the criteria,” said a DTC official on
condition of anonymity. “In fact, all the buses met both the criterion
between 2001 and 2003. Still, they continue to ply and end up breaking down
on roads most of the times.”

The city has 3,775 swanky green- and cherry-coloured low-floor buses and
another 620 orange cluster buses. With lakhs of daily commuters, the buses
do not meet even half of its requirement. On an average, 100 DTC buses
break down every day, officials concede. A majority of these are standard
floor buses, some of which don’t even make it out of the depot.

The official said that the DTC lacks adequate number of buses which forces
it to run the scrapped buses. The state government had told the Delhi High
Court that of the 11,000 buses required, the supply would be equally shared
by the DTC and cluster (private) buses.

“The ratio for buses was 50:50, but due to authorities’ lackadaisical
attitude, the buses failed to arrive,” the official said.

The government was to procure 625 buses in the first phase of the
Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). However, two
years down the line, even the tenders to procure these buses have not been
finalised.

“Another 1,100 buses were to ply on roads in the second phase, but after a
year of planning, no decision has been taken on these either,” said the
official.

“The plan exists only on paper, and commuters bear the brunt of the
government’s negligent attitude.”