Govt impounds 1k pvt buses plying illegally in 22 days
CRACKDOWN Seizure of private buses up by four times in 1 month
More than a thousand buses have been seized by the Delhi government this month in what it claims to be the biggest crackdown on private buses plying illegally on city roads.
From just 212 buses in May, the state transport department has impounded 1,048 illegal buses till June 22 alone. “June’s crackdown has been the biggest so far. In April, 367 buses were seized, which is the second highest. Till now, we have impounded a total of 1,872 buses this year,” a transport official said.
Last year, the government had seized 586 buses in which the months of May and September had seen the highest prosecutions ranging from 100 to 202.
“June’s crackdown has been the biggest so far. In April, 367 buses were seized, which is the second highest. Till now, we have impounded a total of 1,872 buses this year,” a transport official said.
The action comes after L-G Anil Baijal, in a recent meeting, raised concerns over buses causing traffic bottlenecks around vital transport hubs.
Besides, the department is also looking forward to taking action against online bus booking operators, who issue tickets for such buses.
“We are going to issue a notice to a few companies that are running this online bus-booking business. This year, 897 buses with UP registration, 642 with Rajasthan’s, 121 with that of Delhi’s and 212 of other states have been seized so far,” the official added.
As per the law, buses that carry multiple passengers should have ‘stage carriage permits’. However, the impounded buses had ‘contract carriage permits’ that allow drivers to run only chartered bus services. Some were even found to be running without any permit.
“These buses used to pick passengers from places like Majnu Ka Tila, Mori Gate, Red Fort, Anand Vihar and Sarai Kale Khan. Passengers are not able to differentiate between a legal and an illegal bus, which often becomes a safety concern, especially for women,” said KK Dahiya, special commissioner (transport).
Apart from being a security concern, these buses are a threat to environment as they run on diesel.
These buses used to pick passengers from places like Majnu Ka Tila, Mori Gate, Red Fort, Anand Vihar and Sarai Kale Khan. Passengers are not able to differentiate between a legal and an illegal bus.
With the onset of the crackdown, enforcement officers claimed that the bus operators are now changing their modus operandi.
“These drivers used to pick up passengers from near a petrol pump opposite Anand Vihar Inter State Bus Terminus (ISBT). After the crackdown, they have shifted base to UP border. Similarly, instead of Majnu Ka Tila, they are now boarding passengers from other spots nearby,” Dahiya said.