Dismantling of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor, a 5.8-km long stretch from Moolchand to Ambedkar Nagar, will be completed by February, Delhi PWD Minister Satyendar Jain said today.
Jain also said that after the odd-even scheme is wrapped up, the government will start dismantling the BRT corridor in south Delhi from January 18. The BRT corridor was built in 2008 by the erstwhile Sheila Dikshit dispensation at a cost of around Rs 150 crore.
According to the minister, in the second phase, the government will engage local residents in preparing a comprehensive plan of redesigning the roads and for which, a consultant has been appointed by the Public Works Department (PWD). The dismantling will cost around Rs 12 crore.
"To maintain smooth traffic movement, the government will also ensure that the work of dismantling BRT corridor is carried out only in nights.
"After odd-even formula, government will start scrapping it from January 18 in first phase and thereafter, we will start work of redesigning road with the participation of local Residents Welfare Associations," Jain said.
He further said that he has already held a meeting with the representatives of RWAs on preparing the plan of comprehensive redesign of the roads.
"Government has appointed a consultant for redesigning the roads to be taken up in second phase. The first phase will consist of removing obstructions, such as dividers, bus stops, etc," the PWD minister added.
The Arvind Kejriwal government had in July decided to scrap the controversial Bus Rapid Transit corridor after it concurred with the general view that it was not serving the purpose it was constructed for and was, instead, leading to massive traffic jams.
After the decision, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had said that the BRT corridor would be scrapped considering public demand and the kind of accidents that have happened in the past.
The BJP had also demanded scrapping of the BRT corridor and it promised to dismantle it in its vision document for the Delhi assembly polls earlier this year.
The corridor was constructed by Delhi Integrated Multi- Modal Transit System (DIMMTS), a joint-venture company set up by Delhi government and Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation.
