: In a bid to augment the efficiency of its fleet at minimal cost, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has been directed to resurrect its defunct maintenance unit by the Aam Aadmi Party-led (AAP) Delhi Government.
Transport Minister Gopal Rai said Annual Maintenance Contracts (AMCs) outsourced to two prominent private players, half a decade ago, had been cancelled due to high bills.
The decision comes at a time when there are close to 700 to 800 daily breakdown of buses.
Financial burden
“When we have the capacity to maintain the fleet on our own, why should extra financial burden be borne by the tax payer? The DTC has been asked to make its maintenance unit operational and, in the meantime, the Government is preparing to float a new tender for AMCs at a reasonable cost,” Mr. Rai told The Hindu .
Mr. Rai said the Government was also in the process of acquiring around 1,300 buses for the fleet.
According to the Minister, with close to 5,000 buses on its fleet at the moment, the DTC was currently operating with a fleet half the size needed to adequately cater to the transportation needs of the Capital.
There are close to 4,705 buses on the public transporter’s fleet out of which an estimated 1,100 are deployed to ferry school children twice a day.
According to Ministry estimates, an average 600 to 900 buses remain off roads, particularly in the evening hours due to the non-availability of operational staff.
“The Government is currently engaged in an exercise to ascertain the availability of DTC buses, with all 67 Legislators having been asked to evaluate and file reports on the situation in the respective Assembly segments. Buses have been added on some routes, such as Bawana and Matiala, recently, to ensure better connectivity within the Capital through DTC buses,” Mr. Rai added.