The CPI (ML) Krishna district has made light of Municipal Commissioner G. Ravi Babu's statement that Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) buses will ply from Ugadi, the Telugu New Year.
CPI (ML) district secretary Muppala Bhargavasri on Thursday dubbed the BRTS project a mere waste. The party communicated the same to former Mayor Mallika Begum and Deputy Mayor Samanthapudi Narasaraju. Former Mayor T. Venkateswara Rao wrote an open letter listing out the reasons why the project was not viable, and a drain on exchequer.
The political parties adopted a unanimous resolution in 2007 stressing the need to postpone the project implementation by two years. The ruling Congress, however, implemented the project with an eye on Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) programme funds. The VMC should have taken up projects for creation of infrastructure such as drainage, water, housing for the poor, and facilities to suit the needs of growing traffic. The BRTS project was thrust on the city which was already facing traffic problems due to narrow roads. The project instead of addressing the traffic problem would further aggravate it.
Of the 15.5 km BRTS corridor only 3 km was a dedicated corridor. The remaining portion would come on National Highway (NH)-5 and Bandar Road. If the BRTS buses were to ply in mixed traffic it tantamount to cheating of the people. The officials have been asserting that the BRTS buses would have a dedicated corridor for a speedy and comfort travel. The VMC plans to tap funds under the garb of BRTS project would be a burden on the people in days to come, he added.
