Under her party’s government, Delhi had the largest-ever fleet of 7,582 DTC buses, says AAP’s chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar
NEW DELHI — The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has slammed the BJP-led Delhi government for abruptly withdrawing 2,000 buses from the city’s roads, leaving commuters stranded under the brutal summer sun. The party alleged that the government plans to hand over tenders to its capitalist friends in exchange for bribes and commissions.
Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, the party’s chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said the government’s move has left thousands of people waiting for buses and at the mercy of scorching heat. She claimed that Delhi residents had to wait no more than a minute for a bus at any stand under her party’s government. “Today, under the BJP government, people are being forced to wait for up to an hour,” she said.
The spokesman claimed that the AAP government had enforced a rule that no passenger would be required to travel standing inside a bus — every commuter would get a seat. However, under the BJP government today, every bus is completely packed with passengers. This overcrowding is the direct result of the BJP government arbitrarily removing 2,000 buses from Delhi’s roads without making any alternative arrangements.
“Under the AAP government, Delhi had the largest-ever fleet of 7,582 DTC buses. Additionally, there were 1,650 electric buses on the roads, along with the launch of Mohalla and Cluster bus services. Additionally, the AAP government was also preparing to introduce luxury buses,” she said.
She emphasised that, being the national capital, Delhi’s population and number of vehicles were continuously increasing. According to a 2017 report, Delhi had become the fourth most congested capital in the world in terms of traffic.
“In this regard, a remarkable improvement was made possible by focusing on upgrading road infrastructure and the public transportation system,” she noted. However, the BJP government, within just two months of assuming power, has severely pushed Delhi backward. “Without making any alternative arrangements, they recklessly removed 2,000 buses from service,” she said.
Kakkar stated that the BJP removed 2,000 buses from Delhi’s roads solely because the party is deeply entrenched in corruption from top to bottom. Their consistent effort has been to hand over all tenders to their capitalist friends so that bribery and commission rackets could flourish. Tragically, the people of Delhi will have to bear the cost of this corruption and commission-taking. “The burden of the BJP’s corruption will fall squarely on the shoulders of the citizens of Delhi,” she said.
