Will procure 3,035 buses by May 2020, government tells SC.
NEW DELHI: Delhi government on Monday assured the Supreme Court that it will procure 3,035 buses, including 1,385 electric ones. The buses will be procured by next May to strengthen the public transport system.
The number of buses currently operating in the national capital is 5,400. The ideal requirement is 10,000 buses. Last year, the Supreme Court had fixed a deadline of December 31,2018 to increase the fleet of buses. However, the government failed to procure them in the given time frame.
An affidavit was filed in the apex court by the Delhi government. It said that the process of introducing 1,000 standard non-AC CNG cluster buses with hydraulic lifts for differently-abled people will be complete by February 2020. Additionally, the financial bid for purchasing 650 low-floor cluster buses is already open. It will soon be sent for Cabinet approval and they will be inducted by May.
Regarding induction of 385 low-floor AC electric cluster buses, the government said that the process of opening of bids is on. The Delhi Cabinet has approved the procurement of 1,000 low floor AC buses by DTC. The roll out would begin from January 2020. It would be completed by April 2020. It said DTC had applied to the Union department of heavy industry for grant of subsidy to procure 1,000 low floor AC electric buses.