NEW DELHI: The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) is preparing to take nearly 90 per cent of its CNG buses off the roads by October as part of its shift to electric mobility. The large-scale retirement of buses, however, has sparked concerns over the future of over 8,000 drivers who may no longer have a role once electric buses, which come with drivers provided by private concessionaires, are rolled out.
To address the issue and reduce the financial burden on DTC, the Delhi government has asked departments and autonomous bodies currently using DTC drivers to pay their salaries from their own budgets. An office memorandum issued by the Services Department said the move was aimed at ensuring “financial prudence” amid the corporation’s mounting operational costs and limited revenue.
“A significant number of DTC drivers are currently working in various Departments/Organisations/Autonomous Bodies in GNCTD on diverted capacity basis. Salaries of these drivers are currently borne by DTC from its internal resources and DTC has been facing substantial financial constraints due to escalating operational costs and limited revenue generation,” the memorandum stated.
“In order to ensure financial prudence and limit the financial burden on DTC, it has been decided that all Departments/Organisations/Autonomous Bodies concerned in GNCTD shall make immediate arrangements for the reimbursement of salaries of drivers currently working on diverted capacity basis," it added.
The Services Department acknowledged that with the induction of electric buses on a wet-lease basis, DTC would soon have a “substantial pool of regular drivers” available.
To ensure optimal use of its workforce and avoid redundancies, the government has directed all departments and autonomous bodies to absorb surplus DTC drivers against their existing or upcoming vacancies.
The Services Department said the Transport Commissioner would periodically review the hiring process to ensure that the redeployment of DTC drivers is carried out smoothly and in coordination with various government departments.
While the government has framed measures to absorb the excess staff, the looming transition has left thousands of DTC drivers anxious about their long-term employment prospects.
“There is no logic in this decision. It would have made far more sense for the government to train these drivers to operate electric buses instead of sidelining them,” said Lalit Chaudhary, president of the DTC Karmchari Ekta Union.
“Many of these experienced drivers are now being assigned duties such as ticket checking. Mere acknowledgment of their situation is not enough. The government needs to come up with a concrete plan for their future,” he added.