Delhi fights back: 2,000 new CNG buses to be introduced next year

As the national capital experiences suffocating levels of pollution, the toxicity in air has hit an all-time high. Despite the ban on firecrackers and several revisions and editions of the odd-even scheme, Delhi continues to choke its residents with a harmful haze of smoke-laden fog. According to the National Air Quality Index, the latest official average score, as at 4 pm on November 8, was 478. The maximum limit is 500. The situation, which has been described as ‘severe’, has finally set the alarm bells ringing.

Read More: Odd-even rule to be revived as all-time-high toxicity chokes Delhi

With things getting worse every year, the Government of Delhi is taking all the necessary steps to keep a check on pollution. In this context, the national capital will get 2,000 new CNG buses by November 2018 and also plenty of electric buses with an objective to extend the connectivity till the last mile in the city with metro stations.

Transport minister for Delhi, Kailash Gahlot, made an announcement that the rollout plan for acquiring these buses has already been formulated by the transport department of the state. A government official in an interview with Times of India said,

"The government was not gung-ho over plans to scale up the electric plans, but now that the chief minister has given a go-ahead in the meeting held on Wednesday, clear directions have been given to procure a fleet of electric buses as big as feasible."

According to The Hindu, an official statement by the transport minister said,

"For the procurement of 1,000 cluster buses, the Notice Inviting Tender is likely to be issued by November 30, and the department has been directed to complete the rollout of these buses within 10 months."

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