All but 320 Bluelines off roads today
The Delhi high court on Monday came to the rescue of about 320 Blueline buses, which were allowed to ply on city roads even as the deadline for complete phaseout of the killer buses ended January 31. Only Blueline buses having relevant permit would ply and those whose permits expired on Monday would be impounded if found plying. The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) is rolling out about 5,500 new buses from Tuesday.
A division bench headed by Justice A.K. Sikri, after hearing the arguments of both the sides, said, the Blueline buses, which have valid licenses to ply beyond January 31, cannot be asked to go off the roads. The bench, which had reserved its judgment on the Delhi government’s plea not to permit the Blueline buses on the roads, however, made it clear to the operators that the order allowing the vehicles to ply would be subject to its verdict on the petition.
Meanwhile, the DTC has set up control rooms and helpline number to address the problems of the commuters. The DTC has asked its depot managers to hit the road to ensure that the buses ply in an orderly manner. They have been asked to check that buses on a route do not ply in succession and are available to commuters at regular intervals.
The DTC will also field its enforcement wing to check the permits of the Blueline buses and those violating the order would face be impounded on the spot, said a senior transport department official.
“There will not be much problem as the DTC will be rolling out about 5,500 buses from Tuesday, which will more than compensate the absence of Blueline buses,” the official said.
Some unconfirmed reports put the number of Blueline buses that would ply after the court order to over 500. Delhi government had earlier set January 31 as the deadline for complete phaseout of Blueline buses.
Post new comment