The Delhi Government has decided to scrap its plan to revive tram service in the Chandani Chowk area of Old Delhi which used to ply in the capital 50 years ago and has decided to replace it with e-bus service.
The decision was taken in the board meeting of Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (which was looking after the project), headed by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
An official said it was decided in the board meeting to scrap the tram project in Old Delhi areas as it will cost more to the Government and would also take more time to be implemented. "Instead, e-buses will be run by the Government in Old Delhi areas… Tenders will soon be floated in this regard," the official said.
In August this year, the Delhi Government had announced that it would run trams in several areas of Old Delhi including lal Quila, Jama Masjid, Digamber Jain Mandir, Sheeshganj Gurudwara, Old Delhi Railway Station, New Delhi Railway Station for better connectivity.
Sources said the e-bus service will cost Rs 3-5 crores to the Government exchequer. The e-bus, which will be able to accommodate 25-30 passengers, will be provided free of cost to the public and the incurred expense would be earned by way of advertisements by the traders who are doing business in Old Delhi areas
Trams, which were first introduced in the capital in 1908 under the British Raj, had stopped plying between Red Fort and Fatehpuri mosque in the 1960s due to rising congestion in the area. Manish Sisodia had visited the Walled City on August 4 and had announced that trams would be brought back in the area.
Delhi Metro Rai Corporation (DMRC) had proposed a 4.3-km tram line in Chandni Chowk -- one of the busiest and most congested market places in the national capital.