Govt to float Cabinet note for 2,000 new buses on city routes

In what may be a final push to the long-pending procurement of 2,000 new buses, the Delhi government's transport department is all set to float a fresh Cabinet note in this regard.

The note will look to procure 1,000 low-floor Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses and 1,000 semi-floor cluster (Orange) buses. The cluster buses are procured by the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS).

Tenders for the long-pending 1,000 DTC buses have been floated several times over the past two years. However, there has been no outcome each time.

The procurement of buses will also mean a revival of the DTC, which has not had a single new bus to its fleet since 2010.

"We intend to complete all formalities within two-three weeks to float the fresh Cabinet draft. The DTC should procure the buses at the earliest, once the note is approved," Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot told DNA.

"There have been a few bottlenecks earlier in the procurement because of issues between the buyers and the sellers. However, we are resolving the issues at present. Our focus is on reviving the DTC services," he added.

According to a recent survey, Delhi needs at least 11,000 buses plying on a daily basis. However, the DTC at present has a fleet of around 5,600 buses, of which only 4,200 are plying, as the remaining have turned defunct.

The AAP government in 2015 had promised to add 10,000 buses to the DTC fleet and 736 cluster buses. However, while no new DTC buses have been procured, only 215 cluster buses were added.