Stalemate persists between Delhi, UP on bus service

New Delhi, Dec 17 (UNI) Over a month after suspension of bus services between Delhi and Uttar Pradesh over the issue of UP operating its buses on the national capital's routes, stalemate persists on the issue between the two state Governments.

No headway has been made on the issue after two rounds of commissioner-level talks between the two sides failed to resolve the deadlock. This despite the Delhi High court, on December 8, directing the two Governments to work out an agreement "in the interest of the public".

In fact, the Delhi Government insists that it would not allow Uttar Pradesh to operate its buses on city routes in the capital like the DTC buses operating in UP.

''We cannot allow buses of the Uttar Pradesh Transport department to operate within the city limits. If today we allow buses from UP to operate on city routes we might be confronted with similar demands from other states like Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh,''Delhi Transport Minister Haroon Yousuf said.

The minister said the deadlock persisted because of the continued insistence of UP to operate its buses on the 14 city routes on which the buses of the Delhi Transport corporation had been operating before the suspension of bus services between the two states over a month ago.

''Even on Thursday, we received a communication from them in this regard. However, this condition is not acceptable to us,''Mr Yousuf said.

The UP Government claims that the operation of the CNG buses on city routes in Delhi, whose confiscation led to suspension of bus services between two states after UP authorities also impounded DTC buses operating in Noida, is as per an agreement signed between the two state Governments.

They claim that according to the agreement, UP can operate its CNG buses on all the 14 routes on which DTC buses plying to Noida have been running.

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