To strengthen the public transport system in the Capital, the Delhi Government will be procuring over 1,700 buses in the next financial year.
Presenting the Budget for 2013-14 on Wednesday, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who also heads the State Finance Department, said that the Government would add 625 low floor and 1,100 semi low-floor buses in the DTC fleet. The Government has allocated 24.23 per cent of total plan allocation for strengthening the transport service in the city. Out of total plan allocation of Rs16,000 crore, transport received Rs3,876 crore.
She informed the house that the performance of the DTC has also improved since 2008-09 each year on different parameters — including income and earnings per vehicles per kilometers and number of passengers travelled.
However, Dikshit accepted that despite the announcement to increase number of cluster buses from 265 in 2011-12 to 1,000 in 2012-13, the number of buses could be increased up to 450 only. She blamed non availability of land for depots for parking and maintenance of these buses for the slow acquisition.
“Government has taken up the matter with the DDA for early allotment of land at concessional rates for the depots. land at commercial rates is not viable as it would increase gap between the revenue and expenditure of the entire bus-based public transport system,” she added.
To control errant auto rickshaws in the capital, the Chief Minister announced that as a first-ever measure, all auto rickshaws and taxies would be fitted with the GPS (global positioning systems). As another measure, she announced allowing corporate sector to operate auto rickshaws on the lines of radio taxis. “8,000 new auto permits would be allotted to the corporate sector and they would set up call centres to provide auto rickshaws on demand. A single corporate entity will be given up to a maximum of 500 permits and each operator would be assigned a distinct colour strip for easy identification,” she said.
In a measure to ensure women’s safety while commuting, the CM proposed that out of 16 proposed corporate groups to be allotted 8,000 new auto rickshaws permits, two corporate group should employ only women drivers.
On the dilapidated condition of Inter State Bus Terminals (ISBT), Dikshit said that the Government has renovated the first ISBT at Kashmere Gate with world class amenities for passengers. She proposed that similar facilities would be developed at Sarai Kale Khan and Anand Vihar ISBT. “Work on these two ISBT complexes will start during the next financial year,” she added.