Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav has ordered the scrapping of the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) in Bhopal, a system constructed in 2009-10 to promote public transport and instead will install a central road divider.
In the meeting held at the state secretariat on Monday evening, the chief minister discussed the matter with public representatives and senior officials on various problems arising in traffic due to BRTS, after which he decided to scrap the corridor, said Neeraj Mandloi, principal secretary, urban development and housing.
“Various problems were arising from BRTS. Many suggestions were also received from the elected representatives of the assembly constituency of Bhopal district, including ministers and MLAs. Public representatives agreed that the local transport system could be made more convenient by removing BRTS,” CM Yadav said.
A much-hyped project of the former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led state government, the BRTS corridor was constructed for Rs.360 crore under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission from Misrod to Lal Ghati in Bhopal in 2009-10.
The 24-km-long BRTS corridor will be removed in a phased manner, said the order. The work of levelling the road and developing the route for easy traffic were also discussed in the meeting, said Mandloi.
{{/usCountry}}The 24-km-long BRTS corridor will be removed in a phased manner, said the order. The work of levelling the road and developing the route for easy traffic were also discussed in the meeting, said Mandloi.
{{/usCountry}}In March this year, Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) had formed a committee to reassess the project for its renovation, however, no budget allocation was given.
“The budget of BRTS was unused from 2021 as the road developed under BRTS is not being utilised fully and creating more problems. This is a good decision of the CM Yadav,” BMC mayor Malti Rai said.
Meanwhile, Congress leaders and other activists demanded an inquiry into the matter.
Senior Congress leader Vivek Tankha said, “All you need to do is a time-bound enquiry. Which bureaucrat created this public inconvenience? Who else to benefit from? Wastage of public funds in crores. It is expected from you that you will order an investigation.”