After facing major resistance to the concept of bus rapid transit (BRT), Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday said her government was considering dismantling the system between Ambedkar Stadium and Moolchand.

“I think so,” Dikshit said when asked whether the BRT between Ambedkar Nagar and Moolchand would be dismantled.

Speaking at the Idea Exchange programme of The Indian Express on Tuesday, the chief minister said Delhi was not psychologically ready for the concept.

“BRT, I am afraid and must admit, wasn’t the kind of success we had hoped it to be. Therefore, the other six corridors that were supposed to be constructed have been stopped. I think we are going to close this… I don’t think we were ready for it psychologically.”

She added that the existing corridor, opened to public in 2008, was already broken down.

Asked if dismantling the corridor would result in wastage of public funds, Dikshit said, “Do you want us to carry on with it? I can, but then things will become really bad…”

Delhi government had, in fact, abstained from giving any substantial funding to the project under the proposed budget of 2013-14. The project was allocated a paltry Rs 10 lakh out of the Rs 100 crore that the Transport department had requested for.

Following a court case and controversy related to the Ambedkar Nagar-Moolchand BRT corridor, the construction of 14 such corridors was put on hold. A report on the corridor by Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), produced before the court, had also suggested a removal of the BRT.

However, the government has already spent money on assigning agencies such as DIMTS to carry out preliminary studies on some of the proposed BRT corridors.

Meanwhile, touching upon Congress’s manifesto promises of constructing double-decker flyovers and introduction of monorail and trams in Delhi, Dikshit said tackling increasing number of cars and traffic volume was one of the greatest challenges in Delhi.

“I have spoken of double-decker flyovers, which we need to take up. The traffic here is growing enormously. Everybody knows we have the largest number of cars. Tackling this is one of our greatest challenges. We will bring in the monorail and the tram system, which is being revitalised in many European countries,” Dikshit said.

The first monorail is planned to be constructed between Shastri Park and Trilokpuri in Delhi.

“It was going to be a first-of-its-kind initiative in India, therefore, it has been taking time,” Dikshit said.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/will-dismantle-brt-didn-t-work-sheila/1200047/0