300 Metro feeder buses to start plying in six months

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Urban Development,while discussing the Urban Development Ministry’s demand for grants for 2012-13,had enquired of senior officials about the provision of feeder buses.

In its report,the Committee,headed by JD-U leader Sharad Yadav,noted that Urban Development Secretary Sudhir Krishna,had,during oral evidence deposed that “the entire feeder service load cannot be loaded” on the DMRC.

Krishna told the panel that to run feeder-bus services,DMRC needed the cooperation of the Delhi government and the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) .

“DMRC is committing that 300 buses will ply on roads in the next six months. It will,however,effectively become a city bus service. Therefore,this has to be handled by the DTC. The DMRC will also chip in,” Krishna told the Standing Committee.

After considering the ministry’s replies,the Committee said it desires that the “(Union) government achieves proper coordination with the Delhi government and the DTC to run the feeder-bus service efficiently and make 300 feeder buses functional within the next six months”.

Metro officials told Newsline that at a meeting this month,attended by Urban Development,Railways and Delhi government officials,the DTC was asked to take a stake in operating feeder buses.

“The DTC has been asked to take a whole hog plunge into providing adequate feeder-bus service connecting all Metro stations in the city,” an official said.

The Delhi Integrated Multi-modal Transit System (DIMTS),a transport planning body,has already initiated the process of working out a ‘bus route rationalisation’ plan for the Capital.

In addition to drawing out bus routes for the city,the plan has mapped routes connecting Metro stations. The DTC has now been asked to procure smaller buses for running the feeder service.

In the absence of feeder buses,commuters now rely heavily on other para-transit options like Gramin Sewa vehicles and private services like RTVs to travel between Metro stations and their destination.