Delhi Cabinet likely to approve proposal for procurement of 1,000 buses tomorrow

The Delhi government's proposal for procurement of 1,000 standard floor CNG buses to be run under the Cluster scheme is likely to get the Cabinet's nod tomorrow, officials said today.

The deadline for Cabinet approval to the proposal for procurement of 1,000 each of electric and CNG buses was set April 30, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia had said in a speech while presenting budget for 2018-19 in the Assembly.

The proposal was however not on the agenda of the Cabinet that cleared various other government proposals yesterday.

"The proposal for 1,000 CNG buses for Cluster scheme is likely to get Cabinet nod in its meeting expected tomorrow," said a government official seeking anonymity.

The proposal for 1,000 e-buses will come up before Cabinet later on as it is being currently firmed up by concerned departments, he said.

The BJP charged that government's timeline for procurement of new buses has gone "haywire", although it was specified by Sisodia in his budget speech.

"It is a matter of deep concern that the public transport policy of the government is in doldrums now," alleged Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly and BJP MLA Vijender Gupta.

Under the cluster scheme, 1,648 buses are being run by the Delhi Integrated Multi Modal Transit System (DIMTS). Another 3,900 low floor buses are run by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC).

As per independent sources, the city requires 10,000 to 15000 buses for meeting transport needs of commuters in the city.