NEW DELHI: In what could deal a severe blow to Delhi’s public transport system, over 3,000 CNG-run cluster buses operated by private companies may go off the roads from next month. The bus operators have warned of halting services, citing unpaid dues of around Rs 300 crore from the Delhi government’s Transport Department.
The financial deadlock has persisted since the Delhi Assembly elections, with operators claiming they have not received a single payment since the new BJP-led administration took charge.
The private operators, responsible for nearly 45 percent of the bus fleet, said the situation has escalated to a crisis point, making it increasingly difficult to manage day-to-day operations. “The delays in payment have led to layoffs of hundreds of staff members, including drivers and maintenance personnel. A workforce of about 15,000 employees is engaged in running and maintaining the cluster buses,” a bus operator said on the condition of anonymity. According to the operators, the last partial payments were made during the tenure of the previous Aam Aadmi Party government.
“A similar crisis had occurred before the last Assembly elections, when a payment of Rs 60 crore was finally made under public pressure. However the current dues are five times that amount,” another operator recalled.
The Delhi Taxi Tourist Transporters and Tour Operators Association (DTTTO) has now sent another urgent letter to CM Rekha Gupta, demanding immediate release of the pending dues as per contractual agreements. Operators are grappling with an acute cash crunch, unable to pay salaries, EMIs on buses, or even buy CNG and spare parts for maintenance. “The store has run out of spare parts. We are unable to pay the EMIs for the buses. Due to this, the operation of the buses may have to be stopped at any time,” said a representative of the operators’ association.
The potential suspension of services would significantly disrupt daily commuting in the capital. “There are more than 15,000 families associated with this cluster operation and over 4 lakh daily commuters who rely on these buses for their daily commute. We have requested the Delhi CM to help us get our payments processed by the concerned department on an immediate basis,” another DTTTO representative said.
While no official response was received on the issue, Transport Department officials said the government is working on a solution.