Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta on Sunday voiced concern over the impending removal of DTC buses from city’s roads, highlighting the inconvenience this would cause to the public.
Gupta criticised the Delhi government for failing to make alternative arrangements before removing these buses, claiming that 394 DTC buses will be phased out over the next three months.
The BJP leader expressed surprise that despite knowing that these buses had reached the end of their operational lifespanthe government made no preparations to replace them or create viable alternatives.
This, he claimed, reflects Delhi government’s disregard for the challenges faced by the public.
Gupta pointed out that the current fleet of buses was purchased between 2008 and 2011, and with a bus’s lifespan of 10 years or 7.5 lakh kilometers, these buses are now overdue for replacement, he claimed.
According to Gupta, a schedule is in place to remove 394 buses within the next three months.
So far, 225 buses have already been taken off the roads since January, meaning that by December, a total of 619 buses will be gone, leaving the fleet severely depleted, he claimed.
He noted that the remaining buses are also set to be phased out within the next year.
Highlighting the alarming state of Delhi’s public transport system, Gupta stated that despite the transport corporation having its own staff, depots, and workshops, costing nearly Rs 2,000 crore annually, the transport system has collapsed, he claimed.
The BJP leader accused the Delhi government of deliberately neglecting the DTC to allegedly facilitate its privatization.
He argued that the government’s failure to purchase new buses is part of a calculated effort to weaken the system, making privatization inevitable.
He acknowledged that the 1,000 electric buses provided by the Central government have prevented a complete breakdown, but warned that if left to the state government, the situation would be dire.
He cited a recent incident where several electric buses could not operate due to a power disconnection at a DTC depot, leaving them uncharged and off the roads.
Gupta reminded the public of a tender the government had issued a few years ago to purchase 1,000 new buses, which was ultimately scrapped due to allegations of corruption.
He claimed that since then, no effort has been made to restart the bus procurement process.
Furthermore, the government had signed a contract with a private company for Rs 50 lakh per bus for maintenance, even though each bus cost Rs 54 lakh, he added.
Despite this high expenditure, the buses frequently malfunctioned and were involved in accidents, Gupta alleged.
He warned that the reduction in DTC buses would force people to rely on private vehicles, leading to increased traffic and inevitable pollution.