New Delhi, May 3
The Delhi High Court today issued notice to the Government of NCT of Delhi on a petition alleging that the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and private bus operators have changed the distance carriage scheme for charging bus fare in the Capital an unauthorised manner.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice S. B. Sinha and Justice A. K. Sikri, while issuing notices to the Government of NCT of Delhi, the State Transport Authority, Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and Commissioner of Police, directed them to file replies by May 29. The court told the government counsel that the pendency of the petition would not come in the way of authorities taking action against the errant bus operators.
The petition filed by Akhil Bhartiya Yatri Sangh president A. P. Goel alleged that the DTC and other stage carriers had “arbitrarily and unauthorisedly changed the basis of the distance carriage scheme”.
“The fare stage is said to be a bus stop at which the slab of fare would get changed. The distance travelled, however short, between two fare stages would be deemed to be two kilometres,” the petition said. “This change in the scheme by the DTC and other bus operators is a result of a sinister design and a deliberate attempt to fleece the passengers over and above the recommended steep hike in bus fare by the State Transport Authority,” it said.
The passengers were denied full services for the fare charged from them for a particular distance and a large number of passengers were “forced to pay Rs 2 more for each trip,” the petitioner said, claiming that nearly Rs 50 lakh were being illegally collected from passengers everyday thus.
