Sheila won’t give up on BRT
18 July 2012 1:38 AM GMT
The Delhi government is unlikely to say quits on the issue of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project and is girding up for a long haul. A day after the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) submitted its final report to the Delhi high court and the transport department of Delhi government, recommending the scrapping of the BRT corridor, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit defended the project on Tuesday, claiming that there must be some kind of political conspiracy behind scrapping the public transport scheme.
Talking to reporters, Dikshit said, 'Few people want to trash the BRT scheme unnecessarily. Certain sections are politicising the issue, and it could be a political conspiracy also. We brought the BRT to serve common commuters travelling by bus, and it has been built to ensure a better public transport system'. Dikshit, however, said that she was yet to see the report and was responding to the media reports.
Following a Delhi high court directive, the CRRI carried out a study of the BRT corridor in south Delhi, which states that after examining various scenarios on the Ambedkar Nagar-Moolchand BRT corridor, 'the BRT option doesn't yields benefits for this corridor'.
The Delhi chief secretary P K Tripathi too hinted that government was planning to move to the Supreme Court in case of the high court took an adverse view in this matter, saying government has the option of going to the Supreme Court. According to sources, government is determined to go ahead with the project, as the BRT corridor between Moolchand and Delhi Gate has improved flow of bus transport. The sources said that the government had resolved not to scrap the BRT.
The city government also hinted that it would undertake more such projects, as the BRT scheme was successful in foreign countries and the government was yet to understand why some people wanted to call it a failed system in the national capital.
The Delhi high court will next hear the matter on Wednesday.
Talking to reporters, Dikshit said, 'Few people want to trash the BRT scheme unnecessarily. Certain sections are politicising the issue, and it could be a political conspiracy also. We brought the BRT to serve common commuters travelling by bus, and it has been built to ensure a better public transport system'. Dikshit, however, said that she was yet to see the report and was responding to the media reports.
Following a Delhi high court directive, the CRRI carried out a study of the BRT corridor in south Delhi, which states that after examining various scenarios on the Ambedkar Nagar-Moolchand BRT corridor, 'the BRT option doesn't yields benefits for this corridor'.
The Delhi chief secretary P K Tripathi too hinted that government was planning to move to the Supreme Court in case of the high court took an adverse view in this matter, saying government has the option of going to the Supreme Court. According to sources, government is determined to go ahead with the project, as the BRT corridor between Moolchand and Delhi Gate has improved flow of bus transport. The sources said that the government had resolved not to scrap the BRT.
The city government also hinted that it would undertake more such projects, as the BRT scheme was successful in foreign countries and the government was yet to understand why some people wanted to call it a failed system in the national capital.
The Delhi high court will next hear the matter on Wednesday.
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