New Delhi: Delhi government today imposed a
hefty fine of Rs four crore on Tata Motors for "not properly"
maintaining its low-floor buses in the city even as BJP
created stormy scenes in the Assembly slamming it for six
incidents of these vehicles catching fire in a span of just
three weeks.
As part of punitive measures, the government has also
decided to withhold a payment of Rs 150 crore to the Tatas for
supplying 390 buses and warned of legal action if corrective
steps were not taken by the automobile giant.
Under attack for the mishaps, Chief Minister Sheila
Dikshit said the government had "strongly warned" the Tata
officials to ensure that such incidents do not happen in
future.
In the evening, Dikshit held a high-level meeting with
top Tata Motors officials where the company was given 45 days
time to carry out "a bumper to bumper" technical checking of
all the buses supplied by the company.
"We will take very strong action against them if they
fail to ensure proper maintenance of these buses. They are
responsible for the maintenance of the buses and we will not
tolerate any sort of negligence on their part," she said.
So far, six low-floor buses of Tata's latest fleet have
caught fire, raising concerns about passenger safety.
Announcing the fine on Tata Motors, Delhi Transport
Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said government has the option
of filing criminal cases against them in future.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, December 15, 2009, 00:16