Govt. withdraws special buses for MPs

Parliamentarians have been commuting to work either aboard their own vehicles or by car-pooling with colleagues

By choice:MPs Digvijaya Singh and Renuka Chowdhary; (below) Ambika Soni and Sharad Yadav were among those who reached Parliament by car-pooling on Tuesday.Photos: Sandeep Saxena

he Delhi government on Tuesday decided to suspend the operation of a mini fleet of public buses meant exclusively for Parliamentarians after it failed to wean them from the usage of their respective vehicles to work over two consecutive days.

According to a senior government official, the decision was taken in the wake of Parliamentarians evidently choosing to reach Parliament either alone aboard their own vehicles or pooling with colleagues with even-numbered registration plates in accordance with restrictions on odd-numbered cars here as per the provisions of the road rationing scheme.

RJD MP Pappu Yadav, who was the most vocal in opposing the scheme on Monday, in addition to Digvijaya Singh and Renuka Chowdhary of the Indian National Congress, figured on the small list of MPs who took to car-pooling on Tuesday.

This, despite Transport Minister Gopal Rai having appealed to MPs to “set an example” and meeting Vice-President Hamid Ansari over the issue on Monday to assure him that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi government was “doing all it can” to facilitate MPs through public transport.

Six Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses were converted to MP Specials to ferry MPs in view of odd even restrictions in the wake of the current session of Parliament beginning Monday. Arrangements consisted of two buses each from North Block and South Block and one each from Akbar Road and Ashoka Road, and were made in view of the fact that MPs do not enjoy exemption from the restrictions of the vehicle rationing policy which will be in force till April 30.

The special service, however, was utilised by just nine MPs on the first day: eight in the morning and one in the evening after both Houses of Parliament adjourned.

Sources in the public transporter said the figure sank as low as “two to three” during the day. “Keeping in view today’s experience and following consultations with officials in both Houses of Parliament, it has been decided that the remaining two buses for MPs will be reverted back to the DTC fleet from Wednesday morning,” said Transport Minister Gopal Rai.

Meanwhile, the Delhi government, according to a source, was yet to take a call on who would foot the bill for the bus service – close to an estimated Rs. 1.20 lakh; sources continued to maintain that the AAP government would do so in view of the fact that it had initiated the scheme in the first place.