New BRT Corridors to be improved versions: Kejriwal

The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) has been a successful concept in several countries including in India but it was implemented wrongly in Delhi. The Delhi government will introduce new BRT Corridors in an improved form in the national Capital said Arvind Kejriwal while inaugurating a one-day seminar of ‘Delhi Transport Vision Conference’ in the Delhi Secretariat.

“Delhi government is completely in favour of BRT as a concept. It is an important concept and an important solution which has been implemented in a nice manner in many parts of the world and our country”, said Kejriwal.

Earlier this month, facing criticism, the Aam Aadmi Party government decided to scrap the controversial corridor between Moolchand and Ambedkar Nagar in South Delhi built by the earlier Sheila Dikshit dispensation at around Rs 150 crore to encourage public transport.

“We are now going to scrap the BRT Corridor (from Moolchand to Ambedkar Nagar), but we will introduce new BRT Corridors in Delhi in improved forms in the future,” Kejriwal said.

Recalling his experiences of travelling in crowded buses as a nightmare, the Chief Minister called for a better transport system that can be used by every section of the society.

“I have travelled in buses several times. I know that travelling in a bus packed with passengers is a nightmare. We have to make the transport system better in the next five years.

“We need to create such public transport system which could be used by every section of society including the poor and the rich,” Kejriwal said.

“There is a huge gap between demand and supply in terms of public transport. We need to work on five things-availability, easy access, punctuality, reliability and information (pertaining to bus service)<g data-gr-id="49">-in</g> view of making public transport system better,” he said.

Referring to people travelling in Metro, he said that if the government provides good service, people are willing to leave their personal vehicle and use public transport.  

“Both middle and <g data-gr-id="53">upper class</g> people prefer to travel in Metro. There are so many people who left driving their cars and started travelling in Metro which indicates that if we give people good service, they are willing to leave their personal vehicle and use public transport,” he added.

Transport Minister Gopal Rai, who presided over the conference, said that we have several challenges ahead to improve public transport as there are multiple authorities in Delhi.

The transport minister further said if we give people good service, they are willing to leave their personal vehicle and use public transport.

“We have to develop such a technology that all information pertaining to public transport could be available on one platform,” he said.

The transport minister also said that women’s safety is also a big challenge for us.

“Government has passed a budget for <g data-gr-id="77">instaling</g> CCTV cameras in buses to ensure women safety. We will also work on providing wi-fi inside the buses,” Rai also said.