Delhi govt to install CCTV cameras at bus stops
To monitor drivers who don't stop buses at designated stops, the Delhi government has decided to install CCTV cameras at various bus stops. Transport officials said that skipping bus stops is a common practice among drivers of the government-run buses. It not only creates congestion on roads, but also poses difficulty for senior citizens and differently abled among others.
 After receiving complaints from commuters that drivers do not stop buses at designated stops, the Delhi government has decided to install CCTV cameras at bus stops.Not halting the bus at the designated spot but close to the bus stop not only leads to chaos and congestion on roads, but it also poses a challenge to the differently abled, senior citizens, women and children.?Cameras at bus stops will also help us investigate cases of speeding and rash-driving. People wait at bus stops for a minimum of 10 minutes in Delhi and this would also ensure safety of commuters, especially women,? a transport official said. The project has been pegged at a cost of Rs140 crore, which will be taken from the Nirbhaya Fund. ?The government has already received in-principle approval for its share from the fund from the ministry of home affairs. Besides, the need for cameras at bus stops apart from buses was cited by the MHA only,? another official said.At present, the capital has 1,864 bus queue shelters (BQS), of which 1,321 are managed by the Delhi Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (DTIDC), 346 by the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) and 197 by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).The practice is so common among drivers of the government-run buses that the transport department is already carrying out a drive to prosecute them. It has formed an 80-member team of enforcement officials who in just five days have prosecuted 1,296 such drivers. The officials, dressed in plain clothes, have been deployed at bus stops like Dhaula Kuan, ITO, AIIMS, Mukarba Chowk, Peeragarhi, Laxmi Nagar and INA.?From July 10 to 15, we have taken action against 393 drivers of DTC, 454 drivers of the cluster or orange bus service and 449 of metro feeder buses and gramin sewas,? the official added. In June, the Delhi Cabinet, in its meeting chaired by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had approved installation of CTTV cameras in 6,350 Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and cluster buses. However, at present, there are only 5,725 buses being run by the government and 536 more buses are in the pipeline. 