BRT Corridor scrapping to begin today

A 5.8 kilometer long BRT Corridor from Ambedkar Nagar to Mool Chand, a dream project of the Sheila Dikshit government, is all set to be scrapped from Tuesday, said a Delhi government official.

Sources said the dismantling work will start between 2 pm and 2.30 pm, in the presence of Delhi deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and PWD Minister Satyendar Jain along with the area’s MLAs. The dismantling process will start at DDA Flats, Madangir near gali no 20 towards Ambedkar Nagar.

According to information, the agencies involved in this will work during low traffic pressure and at night only to avoid inconvenience to commuters. The PWD has also appointed a consultant to suggest road designing of the entire stretch. The consultant has invited suggestions from local residents and residents’ welfare associations about the possible design and alignment of roads after BRT is dismantled.

The dismantling of the corridor constructed in 2008 at a cost of Rs 190 crore will entail a further expenditure of Rs 11-12 crore. Satyendar Jain said that, the dismantling of the corridor would begin from January 19 and it would be completed by February 20.

The Arvind Kejriwal government had in July 21, 2015 decided to scrap the controversial Bus Rapid Transit Corridor after it concurred with the general view that it was not serving the purpose it was constructed for and was, instead, leading to massive traffic snarls.

After the decision, deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had said the BRT Corridor would be scrapped considering public demand and the kind of accidents that have happened in the past. According to the minister, the work on dismantling the stretch will take place in two phases. The first phase would consist of removing obstructions, such as dividers, bus stops, etc. The second phase would cost more and take longer as it would include redesigning of junctions and installing a new signaling system.

“To maintain smooth traffic movement, the government will also ensure that the work of dismantling BRT corridor is carried out only in nights,” Jain also said. 

The minister said in the second phase, the government will engage local residents in preparing a comprehensive plan for redesigning the roads and for which, a consultant has been appointed by the Public Works Department (PWD). 

He further said that he has already held a meeting with the representatives of RWAs on preparing the plan of comprehensive redesign of the roads.