New Delhi: A suggestion has been made to offer free bus services to all passengers from November to January to tackle rising air pollution in Delhi during winter. If the proposal is implemented, it is estimated to place an additional burden of about Rs 200 crore on the Delhi government’s exchequer. Along with this, concessions in metro fares and the development of temporary parking facilities on Delhi’s borders have also been recommended. However, this is still only a suggestion, and the government has not made any official announcement on implementing it.
South Delhi BJP MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, stressing the need to strengthen public transport, said it is necessary to connect key locations and residential areas of the capital with better bus services. According to him, Delhi has about 6,988 buses, while the city needs a fleet of nearly 14,000 electric buses to meet its requirements. The government’s target is to increase the number of e-buses to about 14,000 by 2028-29.
Under the proposal, free travel in buses for three months could encourage people to use public transport instead of private vehicles. This is expected to help reduce vehicle pressure on roads and the emissions caused by them.
In addition, a concession in metro tickets from November to January has been suggested. There has also been a proposal to create temporary parking in border areas for passengers coming to Delhi from Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Noida, so that people can park their private vehicles there and continue their journey by bus or metro.
According to environmental experts, low wind speed and a drop in temperature during winter cause pollutants to remain in the atmosphere for longer periods. In such a situation, promoting public transport could be an important part of the pollution-control strategy.
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