Click to play videoNew Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit may be rejoicing her third consecutive victory but there's one prickly issue that continues to hurt her.
Just a day after Sheila Dikshit and her new cabinet were sworn in, her pet project the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Corridor, a Parliament standing committee on Transport has called it a failure.
The report states: “Despite all potential benefits of BRTs, its implementation in Delhi has left much to be desired. In view of this, it is suggested that the Government of Delhi should abandon the other five BRT corridors as approved earlier.''
But Dikshit's stand on the project is unrelenting
“I will look at the report. We will not let the BRT be a failure. In any country where there are traffic jams, a BRT is needed. It has been successful internationally,” Sheila replied.
Experts say while the BRT is a novel concept which gives priority to public transport, it should have been modeled keeping Delhi's heavy traffic in mind.
"In Coritiba, the commuter has the option of turning left or right in case of congestion. In Bogota, the number of lanes for vehicular traffic is more than three and four lanes are devoted to the BRT. The number of vehicles in these places is much less in comparison to Delhi,” Head, School of Planning and Architecture, PK Sarkar, says.
The committee has suggested diverting the BRT funds to strengthening the Metro network and the city's feeder bus service.
It may not have played out as a big election issue, but the BRT is surely something that continues to plague the Sheila Dikshit govt.
In the face of severe scientific criticism now, the challenge for the government is to adapt the project to silence the critics as well as the section of commuters inconvenienced by it.
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