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YourSpace: Pune’s BRTS: a “how not to” civic lesson
The Swargate to Katraj BRTS (bus rapid transit system) route service has resumed after multiple delays. PMPML has appointed its clerical and administrative staff to monitor the stretch that sees frequent bottlenecks and traffic jams. Even as Pune was the country’s first city to launch the bus service in 2006, share reasons for it being not a success model and the way forward.
PMC’s implementation and execution of BRTS has been the biggest joke played on citizens ever since the Pilot Project in 2006 and then in 2014 with Phase – 1.
Basically, PMC never ever complied with laying the BRTS alignments and street furniture according to BRTS Global Concepts and Features.
Due to this, Pune became a laughing stock in transportation circles. At best what we have in Pune can be called a mixed transport system. If that is the case, why eat up major portion of the median by laying it there?
The state needs to take a courageous call to order PMC to stop constructing and demolishing bits and pieces of the 2006 Pilot BRTS project. and in 2014 for Pune Phase-1.
If PMC had used even 10% of the Rs1,400 crore (and counting) spent on this conceptually flawed BRTS, Punekars would have had a world-class bus transport system on the conventional left side.
Through the years, because PMC did not prepare the basic documents such as pre-feasibility report, DPR, socio-economic state report, financial feasibility report, the implementation and execution lacked vision.
This project just guzzled up public funds which were available through NURM scheme because no one official was made accountable.
Historically, funds once received were used for construction in a lackadaisical manner to suit PMC top officials whims and fancies on many stretches, ignoring that public funds must be used with responsibility.
Over these years, PMC’s intention was never to ensure a safe, affordable, commuter friendly public transport system, giving way to increase in purchase of private vehicles.
Phase 1 - Ahmednagar road-Vishrantwadi-Sangamwadi: (i) railings at Sangamwadi corridor where there is no bus shelter need to be shifted to the median to streamline rest of traffic in MV lanes. (ii) Ahmednagarnagar Road is a mess as MahaMetro has cannabalised and demolished most of the bus shelters. Corridors remain unused as MahaMetro has taken over large small stretches. (iii) Vishrantwadi is wide enough for football to be played with multiple lanes with markings.
Pilot Project – Katraj to Hadapsar via Swargate: (i) no BRTS corridor on 7 kms was constructed in the middle as PMC wrongly assumed that PCB would give permission (ii) BRTS corridor even outside PMPML office at Swargate has been demolished to construct the Jedhe chowk flyover (iii) Hadapsar stretch is a like adventure rides at Disney Land (iv) PMC ignored the 22 corrections pointed out by Creations Engineers and Pavetech Consulting Engineering Services.
Successive PMC Commissioners agreed verbally, but bowed to their political bosses. Even now logical suggestions to correct the flaws have been ignored. Feedback that comes in when questioned through the years is that the alignments laid cannot be corrected or shifted because it is through NURM funding. On the other hand, it does not matter to PMC in the least that they did not follow basic documentation, but used the basic premise of have money, use it. As typically the attitude of senior officers has been that let someone else bell the cat.
No one builds a public transport system for it’s very basic purpose to be defeated if citizens continue to buy private vehicles.
-Qaneez Sukhrani
A loss of public revenue
The Pune Municipal Corporation introduced the BRTS (Bus Rapid Transit System) and projected it as an ambitious scheme that envisaged the implementation of a high-quality public transport system to put an end to the rising vehicular traffic and the congestion within city limits. Earlier, it was promised the construction and layout of dedicated bus corridors will have facilities like new air-conditioned buses and high-end terminals and stations.
The Swargate–Katraj corridor required much-needed repairs which have now been taken care off, but the entire process was messy.
For instance, the Katraj to Swargate stretch was un-operational in places as the work of building bus stations along the route was half-done and showed shoddy nature of the administration.
The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) has time and again said that Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has not been able to carry out improvement works on the Katraj-Swargate Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) stretch despite the Pune Mayor demanding that it be commissioned at the earliest.
The 5.5km stretch soon still needs essential works of signal synchronisation, CCTV installation which have not been done yet while doors of bus stops are also still not in place.
It shows the callous attitude of the PMC towards public transportation projects.
Nothing much is expected from the current arrangement as bureaucracy of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is apathetic and controlled by private -money groups who are interested in only squeezing public revenue for private growth and power.
-Mitali Mankikar
No safety measures
The work of signal synchronisation and door installation has been done, but safety is not up to the mark in the said corridor. When the project started, it was branded as the first BRTS in the country. However, both Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) have proved to be completely ineffective for not being able to run the projects smoothly. It is seen that the civic body administration has worked smoothly for the private gains of elected representatives and officialdom which has built a very strong nexus in PMC and operates like a lobby group against the wishes of citizens and its criminal behaviour has caused untold suffering to Puneites. The reasons for the BRTS project not working are the ongoing Metro work near BRTS stretches and lack of adequate staff and infrastructure to ensure smooth plying of buses on BRTS stretch between Swargate and Katraj.
The police have been saying that the increasing volume of traffic in the city was making it difficult to negotiate the narrower stretch of the roads due to the presence of BRTS.
Till Metro work is going on, BRTS will be affected and safety of commuters will always be in question. BRTS has been an absolute failure in Pune city and the very concept is dead and redundant. While the PMC has failed to provide the right infrastructure, PMPML has failed to provide quality buses, frequent service and well-trained staff for manning this mammoth project.
- Amardeep Desai
Strict rules needed
The first BRTS in Pune city was operationalised in the Katraj-Swargate stretch as a pilot project and since then citizens have no hope in the administration as it was done to please the political and business interests operating in New Delhi under the protection of UPA government .
The PMC carried out road widening and created separate lanes for private vehicles as the flow of traffic increased. The PMC has carried out a safety audit of the road and redeveloping work of the BRTS route from Swargate to Katraj was taken up in 2016, but the work was inordinately delayed due to technical issues
The PMC started renovation work on the BRTS and since then, the civic body, which is spending approximately ₹100 crore on the project, missed at least four deadlines to reopen the BRTS. The PMC has maintained that it had to undertake renovation to put in place a new design and all this was to deceive the citizens of Pune. Now, the stretch is operational under the watch of the civic body, it is witnessing traffic jams and bottleneck as citizens no longer follow discipline. When they see their representatives and officialdom being unprofessional and corrupt, they no longer fear action from any government body.
- Neha Sharma
Heavy fines needed
Even though the intention of it, BRTS, being the safe and fast roads for passengers, its implementation was not done properly due to improper study and research by the officials.
Secondly, controlling the bikers and four -wheelers and encroaching the lane led to a number of fatal accidents in the past. Having spent crores of rupees on the project in the past and then dismantling it, led to a lot of confusion. It was a waste of public money.
Laws were not implemented strictly by the security guards with heavy fines for those drivers cutting and entering the BRTS lane.
- Nitin Bokey
