The Bombay high court, on Saturday, gave a green signal to the bus rapid transport system (BRTS) on Dapodi-Nigdi route, a project that had been delayed since 2013.
Pimpri Chinchwad municipal corporation (PCMC) was responsible for the completion of the 12.5 km BRTS lane from Dapodi to Nigdi in 2012 under the Jawaharlal Nehru national urban renewal mission (JNNURM). But the civic body could only complete the widening of the 12 km highway stretch from Nigdi to Dapodi in 2012 as some social activists raised concern over various security lapses in the project.
In 2014, some social activists had filed a public interest litigation (PIL) alleging that PCMC was not following the requisite safety measures while starting the new BRT service. Following the appeal, a stay order on the project was issued by the Bombay HC. Later, the Indian institute of technology, Bombay (IIT-B) was appointed to conduct a safety audit of the corridor. The IIT-B submitted the report with a few suggestions after a thorough investigation, and PCMC implemented the recommendations.
Vijay Bhojane, deputy engineer and spokesperson of PCMC BRT department, said, “We have installed proper safety measures on the route and have received the clearance from Bombay high court. We are now ready to launch the BRTS service on the route. Within the next 10 days, we are planning to launch a bus service with the cooperation of Pune mahanagar parivahan mahamandal limited (PMPML).”
There are 36 bus stations on the BRTS stretch, on which around 276 PMPML buses will ply daily. According to the Bombay HC, a special investigating committee will inspect the stretch after two months to ensure that the guidelines given by IIT-B are being followed by PCMC.
{{/usCountry}}There are 36 bus stations on the BRTS stretch, on which around 276 PMPML buses will ply daily. According to the Bombay HC, a special investigating committee will inspect the stretch after two months to ensure that the guidelines given by IIT-B are being followed by PCMC.
{{/usCountry}}