New Delhi: Commuters in several areas in the
city had a harrowing time today as over 1,600 Blueline buses
were shunted out by Delhi Government to improve the image of
the city ahead of the Commonwealth Games.
The buses were kept off the roads from areas around the
Games venues and localities expected to be frequented by
athletes, officials and visitors of the mega event.
"There were very few DTC buses and in the absence of
Blueline buses, unoccupied autos were hard to come by. I
waited for almost 40 minutes at the bus stop and finally got
an auto to go to Parliament Street," said Sarmistha Dasgupta,
a resident of Bhogal area.
Transport department officials claimed they deployed
additional low-floor buses in areas where Blueline buses have
been removed.
"I had to wait for almost 45 minutes for a bus to go to
Connaught Place. It was really a harrowing experience," said
Sandeep Sodhi, a resident of Laxmi Nagar.
Transport department officials said some Blueline buses
were allowed to ply on alternative routes while movement of
some others were restricted to designated points.
Currently, nearly 2,400 Blueline buses are operating in
over 600 routes in the national capital. The government had
earlier said the Blueline buses will be phased out before the
Games.
PTI
