Private bus owners have a different story to tell The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) will never win a medal for transparency if one goes by what it takes to gain access to even the simplest information in their possession. Extracting even the name and contact number of some private bus-owners who are operating under their kilometre scheme is a difficult proposition. If information on DTC's CNG operations is needed, everyone in the Delhi transport department will plead ignorance and refer you to two or three DTC officials who, in turn, will try their best to avoid you.

In fact, S S Misra, manager (traffic), Private Operators Cell, advised a reporter from Down To Earth to stand by the road and take down the names and contact numbers of bus owners from the back of the buses plying on the road. And that is precisely what the reporter did to contact private bus operators.

But the story got even more complex. Private bus owners denied knowledge of any proposal to convert all buses to CNG by 2001. While V K Bhatia, deputy chief general manager, DTC informed this reporter that a notification had been issued to private bus owners, S S Misra denied it first and then refused to comment.

Sushil Kumar and Naresh Kumar, who run buses on route number 546, say, "We do not have the foggiest idea of what the proposal is all about, how to go about it and the cost involved.' Clearly, the decision on CNG conversion is being kept an "official secret' even from those who are responsible for its implementation.