By IANS
New Delhi : The Delhi government plied more buses Thursday but tens of thousands of commuters in the capital continued to suffer as a majority of the Blueline buses – facing a crackdown after a series of fatal accidents – stayed off the roads.
People depending on buses for travel within city had to wait at bus stops between 20 minutes to one hour, as over 70 percent of the 4,200 privately run Blueline buses stayed away to avoid police action.
“Though we can see more DTC (Delhi Transport Corporation) buses, some routes are quite untouched. I had to wait at least 45 minutes to get a bus from Laxmi Nagar to Dhaula Kuan,” said Ashish Kumar Srivastav, a professional.
“Finally I changed three buses to reach my destination,” he said.
“After waiting for almost 35 minutes I got a bus from Badarpur border to R.K. Puram. But the bus dropped me two kilometres before my destination,” said Pravat Jena.
He said he was forced to walk two kilometres, as auto rickshaw drivers demanded Rs.40 for the short distance to his office.
Delhi Police have launched a severe crackdown on Blueline buses after mass protest and public uproar in the capital due to increasing fatal accidents.
So far this year, 61 people have died and 150 have been injured in accidents involving Blueline buses that have earned the epithet of ‘killer buses’.
Anuj Dutta was another harassed commuter.
“At least five autos refused to go by the meter fare. Taking advantage of the shortage of buses, they are fleecing commuters. I have to fish out Rs.70 instead of the usual Rs.40 that I pay to commute between Mayur Vihar and ITO,” he said.
To minimise the commuters’ hassles, the city government plied 900 more DTC buses that were earlier running on routes to the capital’s satellite towns. But they have been successful only on a few routes.
“The frequency of buses on Route No. 680 is quite good. We are getting more DTC buses today,” said Sameer Mohanty, who stays in Katwaria Sarai.
Meanwhile, state Transport Minister Haroon Yusuf said the private bus operators have been given seven days to repair their vehicles and return to the roads – or face severe action.
“Some of the operators told us that they have sent their buses for repairing and bringing the CNG kit on order. We are giving them seven days,” Yusuf said.
“We know people are facing problems but hope that things will be normal in the next four to five days. Within this period, if private bus operators don’t return, we have to think otherwise,” the minister told reporters, hinting at possible action against those trying to blackmail the government.
Officials in the Chief Minister’s Office said they were contemplating invoking the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to bring normalcy in the city. “A decision may be taken tonight.”