Delhi govt's ambitious plan to run 3K midi, mini buses hits

People's wait for getting bus service on time may get longer as the Delhi government's ambitious plan to run 3,000 mini and midi buses on the city's roads has hit a roadblock.
A file pertaining to the plan has been making rounds from one department to another for the last six months as officers concerned have raised objections to the feasibility of the plan.
Delhiites have been facing difficulties in commuting due to shortage of buses in the national capital.
At present, around 5,800 buses, including that of 4,200 DTC and 1,600 buses of cluster, are plying across the city, but there is need of 16,000 buses to cater to the passengers.

Sources said that in the last four years, only 200 buses have been added to the city's roads because manufacturers were unable to provide low-floor buses at the earliest in the future.
"We aren't getting sufficient low-floor buses. In view of a huge shortage of buses in the city, government was planning to run 3,000 mini and midi buses to be plied under cluster scheme which could be procured at the earliest to cater to passengers.

"The file pertaining to midi and mini buses are making rounds in different departments for the last six months. Officers concerned have raised objections, saying that these types of buses cannot ply in Delhi," sources said.

Manufacturers are saying that they would be able to provide 1,000 low-floor buses by the end of next year, they said.
Sources added that if the government runs mini and midi buses, they can be plied on city's narrow roads while the current low-floor buses being big in size occupy more space on roads which often lead to traffic.
"Government has tried to clear all objections, but we don't know at whose behest, officers are not clearing the file pertaining to the procurement of midi and mini buses," the sources said.