As the air pollution in capital going up at an alarming rate, the Delhi government has moved a proposal with the DDMA to allow standing passengers in Delhi Metro and buses to augment public transport and discourage private vehicles.
The Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gehlot also said that the city government is hiring around 1,000 buses so that more number of people could use public transport and help control pollution from private vehicles.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the buses and metro are permitted to ply with 100% seating capacity but no standing passengers are allowed in the national capital.
In a tweet Gehlot wrote, “Owing to improved COVID situation & to control pollution from private vehicles, we’ve moved a proposal with DDMA to allow standing passengers in buses & Delhi Metro, to modify current order prohibiting the same. I request all Delhiites to cooperate & shift to public transport”.
He also requested that Delhi residents to shift from personal vehicles to public transport in order to mitigate the rising level of air quality. “With a view to augment public transport Delhi govt is in the process of hiring around 1000 private buses for 1 month,” Gehlot added.
The transport department held a meeting with private bus operators for hiring buses to increase their frequency on different routes and augment the existing fleet of public transport buses.
“We had a meeting with the transport commissioner and other officers. Several bus operators attended the meeting and offered to provide 500 CNG buses in case an odd-even scheme is implemented,” the transport department officer said.