By IANS,
New Delhi : Unable to meet the deadline of phasing out blueline buses with the matter pending in Delhi High Court, the city government Monday decided to take 1,300 such vehicles off the roads during the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games.
A Delhi government official said the decision not to ply the 1,300 buses from Sep 15 to Oct 30 in the capital was taken at a meeting of blueline bus operators with state Transport Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely Monday afternoon.
“The bus operators have agreed to the government’s proposal,” the official added.
He said the focus of the government at present is to ply only state-run Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses during the Games and added that the rest of the blueline buses will be asked not to ply near the Games venues and stadia.
Delhi has 2,800 blueline buses plying on city roads at present.
The city government had earlier planned to phase out all the blueline buses before the Commonwealth Games.
Following the decision, the blueline bus operators knocked at the High Court’s door and a decision is now pending with it.
With the focus now on DTC buses, the official said, about 700 low-floor buses will join the fleet by Aug 31.
As many as 574 dedicated buses will be pressed into service for ferrying athletes and delegates to the Games venues.