Delhi govt extends deadline for supply of 625 low floor buses
New Delhi: Delhi Government today extended
the deadline for supply of 625 low floor buses by Tata Motors
to August 31 following a request from the auto giant.
"We have extended the deadline to August 31 for delivery
of the vehicles," Transport Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely
said after a Cabinet meeting.
Tata Motors has already supplied over 1,000 low floor
buses to the city government which is modernising the bus
transport system in the city as part of preparation for the
Commonwealth Games in October.
In its request to the government, Tata Motors had said as
the Bharat Stage IV emission norms came into force in Delhi
from April one, the company has to upgrade the engines of the
low floor buses and requires more time to deliver them.
Lovely said the matter came up in the Cabinet and it was
decided to extend the deadline.
Officials said Tata Motors should have delivered the
buses much before Bharat Stage IV standards came into force in
the city but as they could not supply the vehicles within the
deadline, now they will have to be compliant with new emission
regulations.
As per the contract agreement, Tata Motors will have to
pay penalty for delay in supply of the buses.
"The company has requested us to waive off the penalty as
they will supply Bharat Stage IV buses at the earlier agreed
rate. But still the company will have to pay some penalty,"
Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta said.
A top official of Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) said
the city will have a total of 3,775 low floor buses during the
Commonwealth Games.
Apart from Tata Motors, auto giant Ashok Leyland is also
supplying low floor buses to government-run DTC.