Dismantling of Delhi's BRT corridor to begin today, to cost around Rs 12 crore

"The dismantling work will be carried out at night to ensure smooth movement of traffic," said a senior government official.

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BRT corridor
BRT corridor

Dismantling of the controversial Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor, a 5.8-km long stretch from Moolchand to Ambedkar Nagar, will begin today. The corridor will be completely dismantled by February.

After the trial run of Delhi government's odd-even formula, commuters witnessed massive traffic jams. Massive jams were reported along the BRT corridor and Mathura Road.

The BRT corridor was built in 2008 under Sheila Dikshit's government at a cost of around Rs 180 crore. The dismantling of the BRT corridor will cost around Rs 12 crore.

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"The dismantling work will be carried out at night to ensure smooth movement of traffic," said a senior government official.

"Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia will initiate the process of dismantling the BRT corridor. PWD Minister Satyendar Jain and five local MLAs will also take part in the process," added the official.

Transport Minister Gopal Rai said the AAP government was not against the concept of BRT, but the existing corridor was built on a "wrong" stretch of road.

Last year, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said his government will introduce the BRT model in an improved form in the national capital. "We feel that in Delhi, it (BRT) was a good concept but it was implemented badly," Kejriwal had said.

Recalling his experiences of travelling in crowded buses as a nightmare, the Chief Minister had called for a better transport system that can be used by every section of the society.

Dismantling of the corridor will be carried out in the first phase while in the second, the government will engage local residents in preparing a comprehensive plan of redesigning the roads, for which a consultant has been appointed by the Public Works Department.

The Kejriwal government had in July last year decided to scrap the 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.

The BJP had also demanded scrapping of the corridor and it promised to dismantle it in its vision document for the Delhi assembly polls last 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.

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