Dikshit fines Tata for fires in low-floor buses

After six new low-floor buses caught fire in the past fortnight, the Delhi government has slapped a hefty fine of Rs4 crore on Tata Motors for not maintaining the vehicles.

The government has also decided to withhold a payment of Rs150 crore (maintenance cost) and warned the automobile giant of legal action if corrective steps are not taken soon. Transport minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said the government had also decided to withhold another Rs150 crore payable for supply of 300 new buses.

Of the six buses that have caught fire in the past few weeks, one belonged to a school in East Delhi. Thankfully, no one was hurt in the mishap and the government was spared the blushes.

Chief minister Sheila Dikshit said the government had “strongly warned” Tata officials. “We will take strong action if they fail to ensure proper maintenance of the buses. We will not tolerate negligence,” she said.

Many low-floor buses in the capital have reported smoke from engines or tyre pockets, a “technical fault” for which transport officials are blaming Tata Motors.

The first fire incident involving the buses occurred at Prahladpur in south Delhi, while thesecond mishap was reported near the Akshardham temple in east Delhi. A few days ago, a low-floor bus was gutted in Mayapuri.

The Delhi Transport Corporation has 3,559 buses, including 631 non-AC and 25 AC low-floor buses and 2,903 standard-floor buses.