The Tax Payers’ Association wrote a letter to Municipal Commissioner Md. Abdul Azeem urging him to take necessary steps to plug the loopholes in the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) project.
Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Association president V. Sambi Reddy and secretary M. V. Anjaneyulu released copies of the letter and said that the BRTS project was taken up in the city with a promise that better and faster public transport facilities would be provided under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) programme.
In reality, the BRTS failed to achieve its set objectives and goals as impracticable model was adopted. The dedicated corridor in the midst of the road was not practically possible in the city due to its topographical and traffic conditions. The existing city roads were not sufficient to pave way for a dedicated corridor and bus stops in the middle of the road.
Instead, the VMC could shift the BRTS corridor on extreme ends of the road on either side.
Sub ways should be constructed to reach from one end to other of the road at regular intervals.
Likewise, the bus stops should not be constructed near junctions. The bus stops should be easily accessible by the people, they said.
Referring to experiences in Delhi and Ahmedabad where the BRTS project is being implemented, they said that the fare was beyond the reach of common man. For a distance of 19 km, the authorities in Delhi were charging Rs. 35. The dependence on private transportation did not come down as publicized by the Government.
The specially designed buses were not necessary for the speedy and better public transportation. Ordinary city services could be used to achieve the goal, they felt.