NEW DELHI: In some good news for Delhi, the Arvind Kejriwal government on Thursday approved procurement of 1,000 low-floor air-conditioned buses for public transport. The procurement will begin in July next year. The Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) has been asked to study the routes on which the buses are going to be used. As public transport vehicles in Delhi are required to run on compressed natural gas (CNG), all the new buses will be fitted with CNG kits. The transport department has been asked to make sure that all the buses are fitted with closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, keeping in mind public safety.
In a Cabinet meeting, the council of ministers also discussed Phase IV of Delhi Metro, but deferred administrative approval for the same.The total number of DTC and cluster buses now is 5,460, and the AAP government had asked the transport department’s principal secretary to prepare a proposal for procurement of 1,000 low-floor air-conditioned buses and to put it before the Cabinet.
Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot had discussed the financial viability of the project. Gahlot had also said that the tendering process for 1,000 standard buses had begun after clearances from the Delhi Hight Court.
“As many as 1,000 new buses will be added to the DTC fleet to boost the public transport system in the capital,” Gahlot had said earlier.
In the Cabinet meeting, it was also decided to install CCTV cameras in the existing buses, for which a consultant has been appointed. The specifications for the CCTV cameras and the Automated Vehicles Tracking System have been finalized. “The Cabinet has given its nod to the procurement of 1,000 low-floor air-conditioned buses. These buses will start hitting the city roads in July. These will be run under the kilometre scheme,” said Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.The Delhi government has to expand the city bus fleet to 11,000 buses in accordance with the directions of the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court.