New Delhi: Starting next month (from April 1), not sticking to designated lanes on Delhi's roads could cost commuters as much as Rs 10,000 as the Delhi government's Transport Department on Wednesday announced its plans for a strict enforcement drive to ensure lane driving is maintained, adding that the first phase will see this rule being implemented along 15 key road stretches identified by authorities.
Officials said that the Public Works Department has already been directed to
mark and properly identify exclusive lanes on the selected corridors for buses and goods vehicles. Moreover, DTC and DIMTC, two bus operators of city bus transportation fleet have been directed to sensitise drivers of DTC and Cluster Buses to restrict their buses to the earmarked bus lanes only to avoid fines.
The segregated and marked bus lanes will be exclusively reserved for buses and goods carriage from 8 AM to 10 PM and no other vehicle will be permitted to ply in these lanes. However, the vehicles can ply on bus lanes from 10 pm to 8 am. But, officials said that buses and goods vehicles will have to stick to their lanes throughout the day. "Vehicles found plying on the other lanes, will be liable for prosecution under section 192-A of Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 which prescribes a fine of INR 10,000, with an imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months," the Transport Department said. Officials added that light motor vehicles (cars, scooters, etc.) found parked or unattended in bus lanes will be towed away.
The Transport Department said that it will deploy two enforcement teams in two shifts to enforce this discipline on roads. Each team will cover the entire length of the earmarked road allotted to them. They will also be given cranes to impound violating vehicles, officials said, adding that all enforcers have been directed to take a video or photograph of the offending vehicle as evidence.
Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said, "Safety of citizens on Delhi roads is of paramount importance to us… By assigning dedicated lanes to buses and enforcement of the safety measures, we are further committed to make Delhi roads safe for our citizens, motorists, Non-motorized transport and pedestrians. It would also help with reducing the traffic congestion on roads."
Gahlot also requested bus commuters to wait only at the designated bus stops and not step onto the bus box, so that maximum compliance can be ensured. "We hope to receive maximum cooperation from the citizens for the initiative," he said. The Delhi government has so far identified a total of 46 road stretches where this discipline is to be enforced. The first phase of this drive starting April 1, will begin on 15 identified road stretches, some of which include: Aurobindo Marg to Andheria More, Ashram Chowk to Badarpur Border, Moti Nagar to Dwarka More, Britannia Chowk to Dhaula Kuan, Signature Bridge to Bhopura Border, ITO to Ambedkar Nagar (Via BRT Corridor), Janakpuri to Madhuban Chowk, Kashmere Gate ISBT to Apsara Border, Nehru Place to
Subroto Park (via Rao Tula Ram Bank), Jahangir Puri (Metro Station) to Kashmere Gate ISBT, Gandhi Nagar to Noida Border, and others.