Will fill gap after Blueline phase-out: Sheila

In an announcement in support of the Delhi governments decision to phase out 2,400 Blueline buses...

In an announcement in support of the Delhi governments decision to phase out 2,400 Blueline buses,Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday said all possible measures will be taken to make up for the absence of Bluelines.

Dikshit added the Blueline bus operators had forced the government to take the decision. The government will finalise modalities for introduction of the cluster bus service as the bids for the next four clusters will be discussed in the Cabinet meeting next week.

The Transport department has been asked to submit a final paper on the cluster scheme to the Cabinet within a week so that an appropriate decision can be taken to further streamline the public transport system, Dikshit said.

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During the Commonwealth Games,the DTC proved that it is competent enough to provide a punctual,reliable and comfortable public transport system in the city.

The DTC has a fleet of 6,200 buses,including 4,000 low-floor buses. Transport Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said the mini-buses may be allowed to ply on specific routes. As of now,the mini-buses are only allowed to operate as feeder bus services around the Metro stations and as school-buses. We will announce a policy in a day or two. The city has around 400 mini-buses, he said. Lovely said the government will not succumb to any pressure and is determined to phase out the Blueline fleet by December 14.

Meanwhile,Shyamlal Gola,spokesperson,Delhi Bus Ekta Manch,said: We met the Transport minister on Tuesday and have expressed our concerns over the phase-out. It will directly affect the livelihood of several drivers. Officials said they will look into the issue. We will take the matter to the court if it is not resolved by the government.

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