The last week began with a tragic accident on the Najafgarh-Nangloi Road in West Delhi, which resulted in the deaths of two men and left at least two others injured. The incident was caused by two Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) Cluster buses racing against each other to overtake and reach the next stop first. One of the speeding buses ploughed into multiple vehicles, including a scooty, a motorcycle, an e-rickshaw, and several pedestrians.
The buses in the city were not always this menacing. When one arrived in the national Capital in the 1980s, the buses operated by the DTC sustained the city. Disciplined, punctual though over-packed during the peak hours, DTC’s buses were a support in earning livelihood and not, unlike these times, a threat to life.
DTC lost its character, when its workers union decided to go on a strike and then Union Transport Minister, Delhi was then fully under centre, Rajesh Pilot broke the strike brining buses from other states. The strike ended, DTC buses did return but not with the same ‘regal’ identity.
The monopoly was further broken, when Madanlal Khurana-led Delhi government in the 1990s, allowed private operators through what initially was called the Redline buses. The colour of these buses were soon changed blue as rashly driven, they splattered sufficient red-coloured gore on the roads.
Slowly the Blueline buses came to dominate the city roads. Despite the change of colour, these privately operated buses remained as domineering as Redline predecessors. The DTC buses had their opportunity to return, when the Supreme Court ordered diesel buses out and DTC, during Sheila Dikshit’s regime, came with a fleet of CNG-operated buses.
Slowly DTC started to resuscitate itself and by the time of the Commonwealth Games in 2010, with low floor buses semblance of order on roads was in the city. The public transport system by now also had Delhi Metro taking over the major load. Though costlier than the buses, its clean and safe journey became preferred mode.
Sadly during the rule of the Arvind Kejriwal-Atishi government for 12 years, not a single bus was added to the DTC fleet and private operators were back with élan in the form of the cluster buses. Once again, buses rashly driven by greed for higher revenue, became the order of the day, as was witnessed last week.
Today anyone who drives in Delhi has to learn to keep a safe distance from DTC and cluster buses. Their drivers, much like those of the infamous Blueline buses of the past, often intimidate other road users by tailgating, driving rashly, refusing to yield, and showing little regard for traffic signals.
The newly-launched, electric-operated the DEVI buses too appear to be following the same worrying pattern. Meanwhile, the traffic police seem to watch aloofly, and the Delhi government has done little to enforce discipline. The Nangloi incident, mentioned above, did not come as a surprise. Tragedies of this kind are waiting to happen anywhere in the national Capital.
The Delhi government has quite a job at hand to overcome the challenge of having order on roads. The problem is not new, and therefore the solution too cannot be cosmetic either. Restoring discipline on Delhi’s roads will require a mix of administrative will, strict enforcement, technological monitoring and structural reforms.
The first thing should be to end the race-for-passengers culture. The biggest reasons for rash driving is the indirect pressure on drivers to maximise trips or maintain unrealistic schedules. The government must ensure that drivers are paid fixed salaries with performance linked to safety, not speed or number of trips. Incentive systems that encourage overtaking, racing, or aggressive driving must be abolished. Timetables should be realistic so that drivers are not forced to compete with each other.
Above all, the government must send a clear message that reckless driving by public transport crews will not be tolerated. Unfortunately none from Delhi government ever speaks on such tragedies, probably because it doesn’t make good optics.
Sidharth Mishra
Author and president, Centre for Reforms, Development & Justice