Delhi govt extends 'Paryawaran Bus Sewa' in view of limit on seating capacity

New Delhi, Dec 31 (PTI) With commuters facing a hard time to board city buses due to 50 per cent cap on seating capacity under 'Yellow' alert COVID-19 restrictions, the Delhi government on Friday extended its 'Paryawaran Bus Sewa' till end of January.

Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot hoped the move will provide relief to bus commuters.

"The Delhi government led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has decided to extend the services of private buses under Paryawaran Bus Sewa till January 31, 2022. I hope bus commuters in Delhi will be relieved with it," Gahlot tweeted.

Around 800 private buses are running on different routes across the city under the 'Paryawaran Sewa' that was launched to encourage Delhiites to use public transport instead of their personal vehicles.

The service was launched on November 29 due to deteriorated air quality in the city.

"The private buses were hired for one month period that has expired requiring further extension to keep them running," said a transport department officer.

Commuters are facing long waiting hours at bus stands as seating capacity in DTC and cluster buses has been reduced to 50 percent and no standing passenger is allowed.

The restriction has been imposed under Graded Response Action Plan(GRAP) to check the rising tide of COVID-19 infections.

A group of people blocked the MB Road and damaged DTC buses on Thursday morning after not being allowed to board them due to seating capacity restriction.

The city buses have three staff including a marshal. With heavy crowd on bus stands during peak morning and evening hours, drivers do not open the gates and try to move ahead, causing people to wait outside.

"We are bound by the rules. We can not help it as challans are issued if there are more passengers than stipulated 50 percent capacity," said a DTC bus conductor.

The normal seating capacity in DTC and custer buses ranges from around 35 to 45. More passengers are accommodated in aisle of the bus. But, now hardly 18-22 passengers can travel in them which is why all the mess is there, he said. PTI VIT ANB ANB