NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday announced that the Delhi government would provide 3,000 new buses to citizens within the next 10 months. The buses will be equipped with CCTV cameras and all of them will have marshals overlooking the safety of women travelling in the buses. According to the government, marshals are already present in the existing fleet of the DTC, but there seems to be little awareness among women about it.
“We have planned to put up posters inside the buses to make women aware that if they felt threatened, then they could reach out for help by calling for a marshal,” said Kejriwal. Along with the metro, DTC buses will also offer services free to women, which will cost an estimated Rs 200 crore as per the Delhi government.
DTC buses have a daily ridership of 40 lakh and the DTC and the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal System (DIMTS)-run cluster buses number around 5,500, way short of the required 11,000. Soon after the announcement, the issue started trending on social media. The Delhi government has also passed its e-vehicle policy, under which 1,000 buses running on batteries will be added to the city’s bus fleet, keeping in mind that this would be an environmental-friendly alternative.
The Delhi government is likely to bring in Delhi’s first 37 electric buses by December this year. The setting up of charging infrastructure at depots for 1,000 e-buses has been initiated and is set to be completed by November 1.
The Kejriwal government’s move to make bus rides free for women passengers is being seen as a move to woo voters ahead of the Assembly elections in the city early next year. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party failed to win any seat in Delhi in the Lok Sabha polls.