Electric shuttle service for state and central govt employees in Delhi from Nov 3

The Delhi Transport Department is set to launch an electric shuttle bus service exclusively for central and government employees, commencing this Friday. This initiative comes as the Graded Action Response Plan (Grap) stage 2 has been activated in the National Capital Region, leading to restrictions on the movement of certain private vehicles.

Ashish Kundra, the Delhi Transport Secretary cum Commissioner, expressed, "We have organized special shuttle services featuring electric buses to encourage the use of public transport and discourage government employees from relying on private vehicles, in an effort to combat pollution."

Officials have detailed that the shuttle service will operate routes connecting Kidwai Nagar and RK Puram to the Central Secretariat for central government employees, as well as routes from Gulabi Bagh to the Delhi Secretariat for state government employees. These routes connect the official residential areas with the respective government offices.

The service is planned to consist of six routes, with four catering to central government employees and two for state government employees. The morning service will commence at 8:30 am and 9 am, while the evening shuttles departing from the offices are scheduled for 5:30 pm and 6 pm.

The fare for this service will be ₹25, and it is open to those with single journey pink passes and other valid passes issued by the transport department. Additionally, the transport department has initiated an effort to monitor commercial heavy vehicles in the city.

A senior transport department official reported, "We have been penalizing a few vehicles daily, but we are now actively impounding and issuing fines to around 50 overloaded trucks on a daily basis. These overloaded trucks have been a significant contributor to road dust in Delhi. To date, more than 150 trucks have been apprehended."

Furthermore, action is being taken against drivers without a valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate. Officials disclosed that 6,000 individuals have been fined for lacking valid PUCs since October 1, and the department is considering sending text messages to vehicle owners whose PUC certificates have expired.