BJP alleges bungling in purchase of low-floor buses

NEW DELHI: City BJP on Monday alleged there has been bungling of public money to the tune of Rs 1.5 crore in the purchase of low-floor buses by the Delhi government.
    
President Harsh Vardhan demanded a CBI probe into the "misappropriation" in the purchase of 625 non-AC low-floor buses by the Transport Department of the Delhi Government.
    
Quoting information provided on an RTI petition, Vardhan alleged that the buses were purchased from Tata Motors Ltd. at a much higher cost than similar buses purchased by Metropolitan Transport Corporation Ltd (MTCL), Chennai, from Ashok Leyland Ltd.
    
Delhi government has paid Rs 41,74,468 for each bus while MTCL paid Rs 16,80,707 per bus it bought from the Ashok Leyland.
    
The government has also shell out an extra amount as maintenance cost which would take the total cost to Rs 82,20,468, Vardhan claimed.
    
He further alleged that the maintenance work by the Tata Motors would render employees of the transport department unemployed. The president also demanded the Lt. Governor of Delhi should restrain the government from purchasing 1,500 more buses.