Delhi HC directs government not to ban vehicles whose permits haven't expired
Delhi HC directs government not to ban vehicles whose permits haven't expired
It is not the end of the road for Blueline buses yet. Delhi High Court on Monday directed the Delhi government to not ban vehicles whose permits haven't expired. 
As a result, nearly 800 privately-owned and run Blueline buses will continue to run in the Capital in February. A division bench headed by Justice AK Sikri and Justice Suresh Kait pulled up the transport department for bringing out a notification dated January 28 which banned the buses on city roads from January 31.
The court permitted the operators to run their buses till the pronouncement of the final judgement - following a plea from bus owners - which was reserved January 20.
The buses, which have been blamed for hundreds of deaths on city roads, were supposed to be phased out by January 31. But the court's order will allow nearly 800 buses, with valid permits, to ply even beyond this date. Of these, nearly 500 buses have permits valid till June. The Delhi government is arguing that the Blueline buses must be phased out from the national Capital as they are a threat to the commuters.
Earlier in the day, Delhi Transport Minister Arvinder Singh expressed confidence that the government would complete the phase-out of the Blueline buses as per its plan.
"Today (Monday) will be the last day for Blueline buses. They will not ply on Delhi roads from tomorrow (Tuesday)," the minister had said.u00a0 A new fleet of 'cluster buses' is set to replace the Blueline buses.
The cluster buses will have several modern facilities, including GPS, temperature reader and clocks, electronic ticketing machines and onboard passenger information system on the lines of the Delhi Metro through which commuters will be able to know about the upcoming bus stops and expected time of arrival.
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