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Journalism of Courage
In an empty plot at the Sarai Kale Khan Interstate Bus Terminal, overgrown with weeds and littered with trash, are the skeletal remains of around 103 cluster buses. Mired in a court case, these buses have been parked here for the past six-seven years, and have, in the interim, purportedly fallen prey to thieves. From the engine, steering wheel, door handle to tyres — anything that will rake in money at the scrap market has been stripped. All that’s left is the chassis.
The Indian Express visited the site and found that the buses — orange standard-floor ones used in the cluster scheme — were parked adjacent to the ISBT entrance in a compound covered with blue tin sheets. The body of the bus, wooden platforms, foam — any part that has no scrap value and those which were difficult to dismantle were left behind. The seats had been pulled out and were piled at the back. Engines that were not stolen, which weigh up to 200-300 kg each, were piled in one spot.
Two security guards posted at the site — who have turned one of the junked buses into a guard room — said they have been appointed by the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) Ltd. A total of seven guards work in three shifts — 6 am-2 pm, 2 pm-10 pm and 10 pm to 6 am.
Requesting not to be named, one of the guards said, “We were posted here two months ago. We were told the previous security (firm) was changed following an increase in cases of theft. So far, in the last two months, there have been no major incidents of theft…”
The second guard, who is in his 50s, added, “Professional thieves mostly steal heavy iron parts such as engines.”
As per a register maintained by the guards, at present, there are a total of 103 buses and 16 engines at the site. The guard said, “We were given instructions to guard these parts… and to inform police if we notice anything amiss. At the end of our shift daily, we take stock and write down the number of engines and buses to ensure nothing has been stolen.”
First purchased during the 2010 Commonwealth Games under the cluster service scheme by DIMTS, following the phasing out of Blue Line buses, the buses were launched in 2011-12.
The buses were grounded owing to a dispute between the Delhi government and the concessionaire which emerged over the terms of contract, after the buses were purchased.
According to a DIMTS official, the ISBT plot is maintained by the DTIDC (Delhi Transport and Infrastructure Development Corporation). He explained: “The Star Bus Services Private Ltd was the first firm or concessionaire with whom the (then Congress-led) Sheila Dikshit government had signed an agreement to procure the buses under a ‘first-of-its-kind public-private partnership’ to provide reliable and comfortable buses.”
When asked about the stolen parts and incidents of theft, another senior DIMTS official said, “They were abandoned by Star Bus on 04.02.2016 following the court case. The Debts Recovery Tribunal had ordered that the assets can’t be parted. The Transport Department has challenged the tribunal’s award and the matter is sub-judice.”
Asked if the transport department or DIMTS has filed a police complaint on the loss incurred, the official said, “Due to work on the RRTS at Sarai Kale Khan, the buses were shifted (from Millennium bus depot). There was some loss. Otherwise the buses are condemned. In some cases, the matter was also reported to the police.”
A senior police officer from the Southeast district said, “No FIR has been lodged so far. We are checking if any complaint was received from the department concerned regarding this matter.”
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