दिल्ली सरकार जल्द ही ISBTs पर नई दरें और मानदंड अधिसूचित करेगी

Delhi government to soon notify new rates and norms at ISBTs

The Delhi government will soon notify new rates and norms for buses at interstate terminals, Raj Niwas officials said on Sunday. Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena inspected the Maharana Pratap ISBT at Kashmere Gate on August 31 and then held a high-level meeting attended by Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gehlot. The transport department is set to notify new rates and norms for interstate buses plying to and fro using the iconic terminals. Delhi has three operational interstate bus terminals (ISBTs) at Kashmere Gate, Anand Vihar and Sarai Kale Khan.

Stressing that efficiency and equity are the two most important factors for achieving optimal utilisation of facilities, the Lieutenant Governor suggested uniform parking rates for government and private buses and reducing parking time equally to achieve more turnaround, a Raj Niwas official said. Saxena also directed that only buses with FASTags be allowed to enter the terminals to ensure tracking. He said once notified, the new norms will not only ensure efficiency in the functioning and operations of ISBTs but also enable the facilities to operate at their optimum capacity of 3,000 passengers per day against 1,700.

The official said the low utilisation is due to systemic issues such as difference in rates between government and private buses, poor management of parking spaces, use of terminals as resting places by staff and different circulation due to extended turnaround time, leading to traffic jams outside. He said as per the new scheme, private and government inter-state buses will pay the same parking fee and use the bus bays at ISBTs. Till now, private buses are charged higher. He said this creates a situation where they are parked on roads outside the ISBT premises resulting in heavy traffic jams, besides loss of passenger/revenue for state-run buses.

A system of differential parking or usage charges based on time is also to be notified to reduce the turnaround time. The official said a reduced turnaround time will not only reduce the waiting period for passengers but will also ensure that buses run at a faster pace, speed up the movement of traffic-pedestrian and vehicles outside the ISBTs and generate more revenue for the transport department. Buses will be given a parking time of 25 minutes at a fixed rate. After that, a fee will be levied for every additional five minutes. He said enforcement and implementation will be ensured through FASTag. Buses without FASTag will not be allowed inside the terminals. He said a facility will be provided outside the ISBT premises where a bus without FASTag can buy a FASTag before entering.