Date:31/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/31/stories/2008123153240400.htm

New Delhi

DTC to get more drivers in the New Year

Staff Reporter

To enable the corporation to ply maximum number of buses

‘Delhi Government is committed to providing a better picture of the city through DTC’
‘There would also be a carrot-and-stick approach vis-À-vis the bus depots’

NEW DELHI: Delhi’s new Transport Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely on Tuesday convened a meeting of all depot managers of the Delhi Transport Corporation where he emphasised the need for plying all the existing buses on the Capital’s roads.

Mr. Lovely, who was given the transport portfolio by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit only recently, also disclosed that the longstanding problem of shortage of drivers would be addressed soon as a large number of new DTC drivers have been selected and they would be joining the organisation in the New Year. This, he said, would enable the DTC to ply the maximum number of buses on the roads.

The Minister said the Delhi Government is committed to providing a better picture of the city through the DTC whose fleet is set to grow to 10,000 buses in a few years.

The meeting was also attended by Transport Commissioner and DTC Chairman and Managing Director R. K. Verma as well as the Chief General Manager and Regional Managers of the DTC.The Minister said the Government would also now concentrate on improving the DTC’s intra-city services to enable more and more commuters to switch over to public transport instead of using personal vehicles. By the time the city hosts the Commonwealth Games in 2010, Mr. Lovely said, the DTC hopefully would be showcasing the changing face of Delhi.

The interaction with the depot managers provided an opportunity to the Minister to acquaint himself with the present state of affairs. Mr. Lovely assured the depot managers that they would be allowed to function independently and would not face any interference in their day-to-day functioning. The aim is to have a result-oriented approach, he said.

There would also be a carrot-and-stick approach vis-À-vis the depots. The depot managers would be responsible for any shortcoming and would also be eligible for incentives in case they give an outstanding performance.

About the controversial Blueline buses, Mr. Lovely said their phase-out would begin in April 2009. They would be replaced gradually by the new buses.

The issue of cleanliness of DTC buses and their punctuality and frequency was also discussed. The Minister also spoke to the depot managers who are managing the low-floor buses. They complained that the supplier of the buses was not providing service as per the provisions of the annual maintenance contract. The Minister said the Delhi Government would take up the matter with the supplier – Tata Motors – and follow a zero tolerance policy with respect to maintenance of the low-floor buses.