Months after the national capital’s only Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor from Ambedkar Nagar to Moolchand was dismantled, the Delhi government has taken the idea back to the drawing board. This time, it wants to introduce an improved version of the transport system between Shastri Park and Karawal Nagar.
The 15-kilometre corridor in East Delhi was supposed to be built as part of the second phase of the original BRT project by the erstwhile Sheila Dikshit government in 2011. However, it was shelved after the first stretch in South Delhi failed to improve traffic conditions.
The Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) may be asked to study the Shastri Park-Karawal Nagar stretch for building the corridor. It is expected to have three branches – from Bhajanpura to the main road, Shastri Park to Mori Gate, and a third one starting from Gandhi Nagar.
“DIMTS is being considered for the study because it had already prepared a detailed report on the stretch in 2010. The alignment of the proposed corridor may have to be changed to some degree, and many encroachments will require removal,” an official said.
Five other corridors will also be constructed in subsequent phases. These include stretches from Moolchand to Jahangirpuri, Gandhi Nagar to Chilla, Dilshad Garden to ISBT (GT road), Kirari Mod to Gokulpuri, and Dhaula Kuan to Chhawla.
“Apart from these, we are also checking if BRT corridors are possible in areas like Rohini and Dwarka. These would be constructed in newly urbanised areas that already have wide roads. Implementing the project on such stretches will be easier,” the official said.
This initiative follows a suggestion from lieutenant governor Anil Baijal to explore fresh routes for re-introducing BRT corridors in the capital.
Unlike the structure commissioned in 2011, which was 6.2 km in length, the new corridors will be longer than 10 km. The Delhi government had started dismantling the BRT corridor from Ambedkar Nagar to Lajpat Nagar metro station in January last year.
Scrapping the Rs 180-crore project conceptualised in 2008 was a key poll promise of the AAP government. Despite admitting that the idea behind such a structure wasn’t bad, it claimed that the Ambedkar Nagar-Moolchand BRT corridor was built without proper planning.
The process of dismantling the corridor cost the government around Rs 12 crore. Over a month ago, Baijal had sought a report from the government to check if proper procedures were followed for the purpose.
