Blue Lines: “The Killer-Crucified”

At last the day comes to inundate and delight ‘Delhites’ to free them from depending on “Blue lines-The Killer Buses”. The recent announcement by Delhi Transport Minister ‘Arvinder Singh Lovely’ to get rid of all Blue line buses from the capital factually lets Delhi a great sigh of relief from the woes daily they have been facing since more than a decade. The only thing which worries little in this good development is the unemployment of around 8000 employees who depend on these Blue line services for their livelihoods. But this is not all of a sudden shock as process of phasing out Blue line services from capital roads and replaces them with new fleets of DTC buses has been seriously viewed and progressed since past couple of years by the Government. In fact a case is still pending in Delhi High court in which court stayed the Government in shunting out the Private buses arguing that the DTC alone was not capable to meet the requirement of public transport. But, now as government is much confident in apprising and explaining the preparedness and capability to cater the adequate Public transport by DTC alone, it believes Court will accept the decision of the government this time.

Records display that Delhi in early 90s came up with the proposals of privatizing transport partly to suffice and fill the block holes of city transport. During the course of time the early proposals and rules were undergone changes and refinement by both DTC and Private stage carriers majorly focusing on channeling their financial flow straight to their respective stockpile. Never was it considered to discuss from Passenger’s front on providing good services, enhancing warm atmosphere and promising a fearless journey even once. Blue lines have been showing very regularly their reckless and rash driving, misbehaving, but it came to hit severely lashing the silence of Delhi on 2007 when it swallowed almost 100 innocent lives. It doesn’t mean that it started to become notorious only after 2007; anomaly, it was noticed and felt harmed by the so called ‘public’ who use to bear and live under harassments by soothing oneself over the fact that we are Indians. It seems that was the trigger point which paved way to think of eliminating all private busses off the Delhi arteries. Even from that year onwards when their disobedient erupted Delhi which got outraged over  Blue lines in a massive way  the toll, sufferers rate never steeped down and so their operators, employees behaviors.

Our late response and snorting attitude to these killings paves way to chart out avalanche of tragedies every year displaying surge in toll rates due to Blue lines. Yes, undoubtedly it’s the nation which gave ‘Ahimsa’ to the world, which preaches ‘Love is the only way of living life’ to the globe; but, always we apply/follow this where we not to. We should realize that it’s a crime to tolerate the things when it cost invaluable human lives. It’s criminal not to register one’s anger when it has to be, not protesting against stinging evils while it torment. We those who never raised our voices before it turn out to cause huge damages like these are all responsible for losses. It’s an infamous usual way of Indians by gaining consciousness after losing invaluable innocent souls and lamenting in front of corpses. That will never remove the blemishes as convicted.

Despite the Blue lines notoriety as “Killer Buses” there are some more undying, infamous stains which cause the passengers to get frustrated & disgusted over them. Apart from the first and foremost their reckless driving, the way almost all the blue line drivers and conductors treating the passengers which many a time using abusing words, throwing lewd comments on female passengers with co-workers contributed to have a complete black dent over the blue line employees. There is no even a single soft expression in their behavioral dictionary. One can understand and bear such things to some extent and certain limit on peak hours; but, their attitudes are always similar irrespective of time. Their misbehaviors and misconducts have no limitations which wonders one how and which makes them to behave like this. As it seems Passengers pay not only to travel but also to get abused badly like this.

Another unbearable crisis is asking and following the conductors for ‘Change’. Traveler has to follow the conductor through out his journey as if he has borrowed by hearing his scorn too on every approach. It will be a definitely monstrous effort to get one’s penny back and often efforts end in vain for many reasons. Many incidents start at this situation as a simple argument and turn some times into a brutal clash at the end.  

Blue lines never bother and value passenger’s time but they behave severely if some other blue line buses clash with their time. And, same case for DTC yellow line buses which clash on their time. They will be bad mouthed irrespective of their status of ‘Government officials’ and age too. Mostly DTC buses trail back these blue lines. They chase, overtake and try to threat & hit the bus which has not kept its time by riding as close as possible. For them, in front of their 1or 2 minutes of clash in keeping time, passenger’s lives and safety are not much to consider. Because of the targets of running as many as trips they can and earning the already set figures are the only instructions given by the contractors who run the busses on behalf of well known politicians of  Delhi, the drivers and conductors follow the same. If money is the driving force for these fleets, obviously Passenger’s safety will be the first to be hit.They overload by pulling and pushing the crowd as much as possible before moving out of the terminus like a wisped cart. After a long irritating waiting they will slowly move the bus to a gas filling station leisurely by testing the patience of public and swallowing their invaluable time. Traveler can’t do anything as they have been already ticketed. If some of the passengers raise their voice they will receive mistreatment by their pouring unparliamentary words irrespective of gender.

And last but not least is the Cleanliness; Blue lines are the best examples of poor cleanliness. Dirty seats, filthy and moistened floors, rusted window frames and so on.  Blue line drivers and conductors are much worse than their buses like wearing dirtiest clothes which can’t be dirtied anymore, always grinding things like Pan Masala, Gutka, spitting outside the bus through window which washes the faces of passengers who hang on the foot boards due to over crowd and etc. Passengers are also accountable to a major part for poor cleanliness of buses because of their lack of interests in maintaining neatness.

All these worries and woes has been faced and borne for many years by Delhi people would at last come to an end from November 14 onwards as Delhi Government has announced clearly that all the Blue line busses will be removed from the capital on that said day. As a guy who spent some valuable and exciting years of my life in Delhi I am very much glad indeed after hearing this. Waiting for an opportunity to visit Delhi again in near future to see the Delhi roads free of “Blue Lines-The Killer Devils”