Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) today moved the National Green Tribunal seeking registration of a bus, which is to ply on Delhi-Kathmandu route, prompting the green panel to seek a response from the State Transport Authority on the matter.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar issued notice to Delhi State Transport Authority after it refused to register a new Volvo diesel bus in the wake of NGT's December 11, 2015 order which said that new diesel-run vehicles will not be registered in the capital.
"DTC has filed the present application before this Tribunal inasmuch as the Delhi State Transport Authority has refused to register the new Volvo Bus (diesel) which is to be run on the Delhi-Kathmandu route under the agreement signed between the applicant/DTC and the operator namely Skyline Motors (India) Pvt Ltd...
"Although no formal order of refusal has been passed by the transport authority in respect of registration of new bus, however, it was orally informed that it cannot be done in view of the order passed by the Tribunal," the plea said, adding "having received no response from the Transport department, by way of a formal communication, it was decided to approach the NGT for seeking exemption."
In order to strengthen the economic bond and facilitate movement of passengers between important destinations in India and Nepal, Delhi-Kathmandu bus service was launched by the Delhi Transport Corporation on November 25, 2014.
The bus covers a distance of 1,250 km in 30 hours.
"It is submitted that although the new bus registration is banned in Delhi, in terms of NGT order, the applicant could have got it registered out of Delhi. However, regard being had to the agreement being entered into the the two governments, the said registration from outside Delhi would affect the terms and conditions of permit.
"It is submitted that currently three buses on this route (Delhi-Kathmandu) are plying wherein two buses are being run by Nepal government and one is being run by DTC on behalf of Government of India," DTC said in its plea.
It also contended that since Delhi to Kathmandu route is very long, a CNG bus was not "advisable and moreover CNG would be not available on the said route.
