The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
HC extends permits of some cluster bus operators until July 15
PROVIDING INTERIM relief to certain cluster bus service oper- ators in the city, whose contracts are due to expire this month, the Delhi High Court on Monday extended their permits till July 15.
On June 10, The Indian Express reported that nearly 1,000 public transport buses in the city will go off the roads in 10 days if the Delhi government’s Transport department does not extend their contract. Following the HC order, Delhi won’t face a shortage of public buses just yet.
There are a total of 3,147 cluster buses operating in Delhi. According to documents, the 997 buses are currently plying on 109 routes — these were to be phased out as a 10-year contract between the Delhi Transport department and private bus-manufacturing companies is set to expire on June 19. The government planned to phase out CNG buses and replace them with electric buses, which has been delayed.
A senior transport department official said: “A few concessionaires had filed a case in the Delhi HC. The matter was listed yesterday... it will come up next on 15.07.2024. Till then, the status quo will be maintained. the buses will continue to operate as they are.”
The HC passed the order on petitions moved by three companies providing cluster bus services in Delhi — Metro Transit Pvt Ltd, Antony Road Transport Solutions Pvt Ltd, and Goverdhan Transport Co Pvt Ltd — under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, seeking certain interim measures.
A single-judge bench of justice Neena Bansal Krishna, in its June 10 order, said: “Without prejudice to the rights and contentions of both parties, it is hereby directed that the permit be extended till 15.07.2024 and the schedule be provided by the respondent for plying of buses.” It permitted the Delhi government to file its response to the petitions in 15 days. The matter is next listed on july 15.
Among the various interim measures, the petition sprayed for extending the “validity of permits of the buses, which expire, till the last bus inducted in the fleet completes 10 years of operation ”. It also sought continuation of the petitioner companies’ buses, subject to the buses being roadworthy, till all buses in the petitioners’ fleet have completed 10 years of operations to “ensure co-terminus of the entire fleet”. Appearing for the petitioner operators, senior advocate Sushil Dutt Salwan pointed to the urgency stating that in three cases combined“together, there are 997 buses which would go off the road w.e.f. 19.06.2024”.
A reference was made to the minutes of the meeting dated May 14 which, the court noted, states that the government’s transport department “may consider extending the permit, provided” the petitioner operators “withdraw its claims pending before the learned Arbitrator”.
The dispute between the companies and the Delhi government arises out of certain agreements they entered into in 2013 for the operation, maintenance and management of Stage Carriage Services (buses) in the Capital.