Delhi Government To Buy 3,000 New Buses; Build New Depots, ISBTs

NEW DELHI, March 28: Delhi government today allocated Rs 1,735 crore for purchasing 3,000 new buses as part of its efforts to promote use of public transport among people. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia presenting the annual budget said the government will procure 1,000 new standard size UBS-II compliant low-floor non-AC buses during 2016-17. He said the government will also buy 1,000 new buses under the cluster scheme and introduce 1,000 buses in the premium category through a purely market-driven model to encourage the financially well-off to use public transport. To accommodate these new buses, bus depots will be also developed at Rewla Khanpur, Dichaun Kalan, Karkari Nahar, Bawana Sector-1 and Dwarka Sector-22, Sisodia said, as he proposed a plan outlay of Rs 325 crore for purchase of buses and development of bus terminals. DTC at present has a fleet of 4,461 buses which includes 3,781 low-floor buses and 680 standard-floor buses. Sisodia also proposed renovation and modernisation of the ISBTs (Inter-state Bus Terminals) at Sarai Kale Khan and Anand Vihar with world-class passenger amenities and construction of a new one at Dwarka. Also, about 1,397 new bus queue shelters are proposed to be constructed under PPP mode. Seeking to promote e-rickshaws for last mile connectivity in Delhi, Sisodia also proposed enhancement of one-time fixed subsidy for them from Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000. "In the current year Rs 4.97 crore has been given as subsidy to 3,709 owners of battery-operated vehicles and e-rickshaw. I propose to enhance one-time fixed subsidy for erickshaw from existing subsidy amount of Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000 for every e-rickshaw that has been registered by the Transport Department. Also, to promote the use of electric vehicles, the government will exempt road tax on registration of electric. "One electric bus has been started on a pilot basis and if we get better results, then more such buses will be plied," he said. Besides, he said that electronic ticketing machines will be introduced in all the buses, in addition to common mobility payment card for unhindered access to the commuters. There will be a passenger information system at each bus stop which would display the real-time location of buses and expected arrival time. -PTI