By Rajeev Ranjan Roy, IANS
New Delhi : High capacity bus corridors that promise to put the Indian capital’s public transport system in league with world class cities like Beijing and Taipei will be thrown open to the public in June this year.
Also called bus rapid transit (BRT) corridor, the first such pathway on the 14.5-km long Ambedkar Nagar-Delhi Gate stretch will be made operational by June 2008.
The corridor is a set of roads elevated to form a pathway for high capacity bus systems. With BRT, the city will join cities like Beijing, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Bogotá, Taipei, Hanoi, and Lima, to name a few, where the system has already been adopted to address problems of congestion and pollution.
“BRT will bring a sea change in the city’s public transport not only in terms of comfort but also in efficiency,” Delhi Transport Minister Haroon Yusuf told IANS.
“Around 85 low floor buses, currently plying on different routes, are already a hit with the people. They will certainly like them when they start plying on the dedicated corridors,” Yusuf said.
The BRT corridor will have dedicated lanes for low floor buses, cars, bikes and other buses to boot. Each low floor bus has a seating capacity of 35 passengers, while the capacity for standing would be 45.
“Around 45 low floor, compressed natural gas (CNG) buses will run on the (Ambedkar Nagar-Delhi Gate) route initially. The number would be increased later,” the transport minister said.
The project worth Rs.18.19 billion will be a milestone for the infrastructure upgradation being carried out in Delhi for the Commonwealth Games in 2010.
“We would work out a proactive action plan for the other routes after the operationalisation of the Ambedkar Nagar-Delhi Gate corridor. We hope to commission the other routes before 2010,” Yusuf said.
But the corridor project has been in the thick of controversy for adversely affecting the flow of traffic. The Ambedkar Nagar-Delhi Gate corridor has also claimed many lives since last year, prompting people to express concern over its safety.
Delhi’s Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta said four fatalities had taken place on the stretch since 2007 when the BRT construction started. In 2006, 15 fatalities were reported from the stretch, while there were 32 in 2003 and 10 in 2001.
But, despite the hazards during construction, the official said the corridor had much to boast about.
“Being green, BRT is the only transport project that has got the World Bank global environment funding …. It is safe, comfortable, convenient public transport,” Mehta added.
“It is difficult to carry out any works on the city’s roads without people’s cooperation. Since the existing roads are being widened, commuters will face traffic-related hardships. It is an unavoidable situation where all stakeholders should cooperate. But such problems do not last long.”
In Delhi, an estimated 6.5 million people use public commuter buses, while 600,000 people commute in metro trains.
“The Delhi project has been implemented after meticulous analysis and thorough consideration with the objective of addressing the problem of growing accidents and pollution in the city. The road-based public transport provides the most effective connectivity to a majority of city residents,” Mehta said.
The government’s Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) has already given the nod to six BRT corridors with a combined route length of 107 km.
The other routes identified for BRT corridors are the 8.8-km long Shastri Park-Karawal Nagar stretch costing over Rs.1.28 billion, and the 27.75-km long Moolchand-Jahangirpuri stretch, which would cost more than Rs.3.46 billion.
The estimated cost of 15.70-km long Kondli-Gokulpuri stands at Rs.3.6 billion, while the 26.60-km long Jamia Milia-Tilak Nagar stretch would cost around Rs.4.97 billion. The cost of 17.10-km long Nizamuddin-Nand Nagri is estimated to be Rs.3.76 billion and for the 10.80-km long Rajendra Nagar-Pragati Maidan route Rs.1.1 billion.
The government’s deadline to complete the BRT routes is December 2009, whereas commuters would be able to make use of these corridors between January 2010 and June 2010, much before the commencement of the Commonwealth Games.