Mohalla bus service to take off soon, boost network: Delhi minister

Delhi transport minister Kailash Gahlot on Thursday said that the Delhi government’s Mohalla bus scheme — comprising 9-metre-long buses to facilitate neighbourhhood connectivity in areas with no public bus service — may take off soon.
Gahlot made the announcement during the ongoing budget session in the Delhi assembly.
Responding to a question on the non-availability of public buses in Rajokri village in south Delhi in the assembly Gahlot said that the government has already placed orders for the buses but the delivery has been taking time. “I had estimated that the buses would be delivered two to three months ago. The transport department is holding regular meetings with manufacturers to expedite the delivery of buses. I hope that by the end of this month or the beginning of the next month, the buses will be delivered,” said Gahlot.
Aam Aadmi Party Mehrauli MLA Naresh Yadav said that the 12-metre-long public buses served the Rajokri village over nine years ago but stopped due to the congested lanes.
Gahlot said the 12-meter buses do not have sufficient space to manoeuvre Rajokri village. “The issue is not limited to Rajokri village. In several other places, the big buses are unable to maneuver due to encroaching and congestion. The government plans to serve these areas under the Mohalla bus scheme,” Gahlot added.
Meanwhile, the AAP MLAs walked into the well of the House alleging that Delhi government officers were obstructing the implementation of the one-time settlement scheme for unpaid water bills and demanded action against them. They raised slogans in the House carrying placards and did not relent despite repeated requests from the speaker. The House was then adjourned for 30 minutes. After the House resumed, the MLAs disrupted the proceedings again forcing the speaker to adjourn the House till Friday.
Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri accused the Arvind Kejriwal government and the Municipal Corporation Delhi of falsely announcing house tax waivers in villages. “It is surprising that chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and mayor Shelly Oberoi announced that house tax has been waived in villages. But actually, no action has been taken in this direction. They did not present a proposal. It is a result of this that the people of the villages are upset after getting notices worth lakhs on house tax,” Bidhuri said.
The Delhi mayor did not respond to queries seeking comments.
“The development of villages is being completely ignored by the AAP government. Only ₹21.5 crore has been kept in the MCD budget for the development of 360 villages of Delhi which is an insult to the villagers of Delhi,” he added Bidhuri.
The Delhi assembly began on Thursday with the House offering condolences for the death of 21-year-old Shubhkaran Singh, who lost his life during the farmers’ protest at Khanauri on the Punjab-Haryana border. Speaker Ram Niwas Goel described Wednesday’s incident as “very painful”. “Farmers who are protesting peacefully should be handled in a non-violent way, and their demands should be considered seriously,” said Goel.
After the House was adjourned the AAP MLAs protested near Gandhi statueover the non-implementation of the One Time Settlement scheme.