Kejriwal Pulls up Officers Over Delay in Procurement of New Buses
The city has 5,594 buses operating under DTC and cluster scheme. It requires at least 11,000.
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Facing flak from various quarters over “poor” public transport facilities as Delhi gasps for air, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday pulled up senior officers, including the chief secretary, over delay in procurement of new buses.
Kejriwal held a meeting with Chief Secretary MM Kutty and senior officers of all departments concerned, including transport. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also attended the meeting.
"In the meeting, the chief minister expressed deep displeasure and pulled up officers over delay in procurement of buses despite the fact the court had asked the city administration to maintain a fleet of at least 11,000 buses many years ago to boost public transport," an official said.
The city has 5,594 buses operating under Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and cluster scheme.
The official said the chief minister was "dissatisfied" with the progress of route rationalisation of buses for catering to maximum number of passengers.
The Delhi High Court had earlier termed the need for more buses in the city a "grave urgency" and said the AAP government needed to address it on a "war-footing".
Earlier this month, Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta had alleged that the AAP government has not added even a single bus to its fleet during its tenure.
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