792 Blueline buses go off road from today

You will not see a Blueline bus in the Lutyens’ Delhi and on several south and central Delhi routes from Thursday.

You will not see a Blueline bus in the Lutyens’ Delhi and on several south and central Delhi routes from Thursday. Delhi transport department issued a notification on late Wednesday evening phasing out Blueline buses that were taken off the road during the Commonwealth Games.

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However, unlike its previous announcement of “complete phase out of 1,600 buses with the issuance of the notification”, the transport department officials now said that about half of these buses would continue to ply on curtailed routes and will not be allowed on New Delhi and some areas of south and central Delhi.

“We will continue to maintain the situation that existed during the Commonwealth Games. Those buses that were taken off the road will not be allowed to come back and those which plied on curtailed routes will continue to ply on curtailed routes,” Delhi transport minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said.

That means, while 792 buses will disappear for ever from 70 routes, another 800 buses will continue to run on 69, albeit shorter routes.The Delhi government’s decision also gives some respite to the operators and staff of these 800 buses who were likely to become jobless with the notification.

Apart from the Lutyens’ Delhi, ITO, Delhi Secretariat, the areas around the Commonwealth Games Village and roads in proximity to Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Thyagaraj Stadium, Chhatrasal Stadium and RK Khanna Tennis Stadium will not witness the movement of Blueline buses. “(But) the government is committed on its stand to completely phase out Blueline buses from December 14,” Lovely said.