Delhi govt to move Supreme Court for cancellation of Blueline bus permits

The Delhi government today decided to approach the Supreme Court for cancellation of the permit of remaining 300 Blueline buses which are still plying on various city routes.
   
The decision to approach the apex court came a day after a speeding Blueline bus killed a person and mowed down 11 others near the ISBT Kashmere Gate.
   
"We are determined to remove all the Blueline buses from the city at the earliest. We will now approach the Supreme Court to cancel the permits of the remaining Blueline buses as their permits will expire in 2012 only," transport minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said.
   
Under a phase-out plan, nearly 1,900 Blueline buses, which had gained notoriety in the city over their involvement in frequent mishaps, have been taken off roads by the Delhi government.
   
But around 300 buses were allowed to run after they moved the court arguing that their permits will expire in middle of next year.
   
The Delhi government has been trying to modernise the entire public transport system in the city and has procured around 4,000 swanky low-floor buses, including air-conditioned and non-air conditioned vehicles.
   
To replace the Blueline fleet, the government had last year announced an ambitious cluster bus service scheme under which corporate entities were proposed to be given certain routes in the city on the pattern of cities like Paris and London. The first cluster bus service was launched in the city last week.
   
Delhi government had in 2009 divided nearly 650 bus routes across the city into 17 clusters, each comprising profitable and non-profitable routes and decided to give each cluster to a private operator.