The Delhi Cabinet on Friday gave in-principle approval to a proposal for procurement of 1,000 CNG-run standard-floor buses under the cluster scheme. The approval is subject to nod by the court.
The plan was deferred by the Cabinet earlier this week in view of court cases pertaining to procurement of buses by the government.
“This is a important decision, which is in-principle subject to the court’s approval. We hope the court will give a go ahead to it as there is scarcity of buses in Delhi,” Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.
Each new bus will be equipped with three Internet protocol (IP) cameras, panic buttons, GPS and anti-skid features. Buses under the cluster scheme, operated by Delhi Integrated Multi Modal System (DIMTS), were last procured in 2011.
Mr. Sisodia said that preparation for purchasing 1,000 new buses for the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) was also under way. Buses for DTC were last purchased in 2008.
The Transport Department has identified eight depots that will be used to park the new cluster buses.
Operation costs
The Delhi government will bear an estimated expenditure of around ₹276 crore for the 1,000 buses for the first year of operation. Under the scheme, the Delhi government had to bear the viability gap to meet the deficit between the actual payment to be made to the concessionaire and revenue via fare collection. Currently, the monthly deficit in operation of cluster buses is about ₹1.92 lakh per bus, said a government official.
Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said Delhi required 11,000 buses — 5,500 buses each for the DTC and cluster scheme. Currently, the DTC runs 3,781 buses whereas 1,648 buses are run under the cluster scheme.
After procurement of 2,000 new buses, the government would like to add 3,000 more to raise the number to 11,000, Mr. Gahlot said. New depots, besides eight for cluster buses, are being constructed in East Vinod Nagar, Rohini, Mundera Kalan, Burari, Bawana, Ghumman Hera for parking more buses, he added.
The Delhi High Court was hearing a petition concerning procurement of 1,000 standard-floor buses for the DTC, by the Delhi government.
The government and the DTC had assured the HC that no contract for standard-floor buses would be awarded till May 23, in the backdrop of objections that they were not disabled-friendly. The assurance was given as the court appeared inclined to stay the entire tender floated on March 15 for the buses.
