DTC's conversion hitches

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, APRIL 5. With the onerous task of converting its entire fleet of buses into the CNG mode latest by September 30 on its hands -- thanks to a six-month reprieve provided by the Supreme Court -- the Delhi Transport Corporation is facing problems on a number of fronts for no fault of its.

If it was the devastating Gujarat earthquake that came in the way of conversion of diesel buses into CNG ones, now it is the closure of BALCO industry -- the public sector giant known for manufacture of Aluminium -- that has threatened to pose yet another hurdle in the way of building bodies on the CNG chassis.

At an emergency meeting of over three dozen body builders from all over the country convened by the DTC in the context of the delivery of all the CNG buses by September 31 -- instead of the earlier deadline of October 30 -- participants complained that they were either facing a huge shortfall of aluminium sheets which were being made available at a premium.

Explaining their position before the DTC in two separate meetings yesterday, the body builders said that closure of BALCO had resulted in great scarcity of aluminium sheets which are used in large number in building bodies of buses. Whatever is available is from the private manufacturers who are taking advantage of the situation. ``Not only has an artificial shortage of aluminium sheets been created, but it is also costing much more,'' they said.

Thus, it is learnt, they requested the DTC to give some relaxation in the delivery schedule or give some financial concession. However, after senior DTC officials strongly argued and pleaded before the body builders that there cannot be any relaxation now in the context of the Supreme Court order and the transportation crisis, the body builders promised to deliver the buses in time. At the same time, the body builders requested the DTC to take up the issue with the Union Government so as to ensure that there was no shortage of aluminium.

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