Former Delhi Transport Minister and AAP MlA from Greater Kailash Saurabh Bhardwaj on Tuesday demanded dismantling of the controversial Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor from Ambedkar Nagar to Moolchand with immediate effect as it is causing major traffic chaos in the area.

Raising the issue under Special Mention (Rule 280) in the Delhi Assembly, Bhardwaj said that the Arvind Kejriwal Government had promised to dismantle the corridor two months ago but nothing has been done about it till date. The party had promised the same in its election manifesto.

The AAP leader said that the BRT corridor has hit AAP Assembly constituencies that include Greater Kailash, Ambedkar Nagar, Sangam Vihar, Kasturba Nagar and Deoli due to poor planning and execution.

Apart from Bhardwaj, four other AAP MlAs, whose constituencies fall along the corridor, are in favour of scrapping the Capital’s controversial traffic project.

Bhardwaj said that scrapping of the BRT corridor was one of the poll planks of the party during the Assembly elections and now people of the area are questioning elected representatives on this issue.

Bhardwaj had also met Delhi PWD Minister Satyendra Jain over the issue and pointed out that though the concept of BRT corridor was excellent, the Ambedkar Nagar to Moolchand stretch was a traffic nightmare as it created more problems than it solved.

According to Bhardwaj, Delhi Police in its report to lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung had pointed out that the stretch was also highly dangerous and recently a child had been run over by a bus.

“At present, no agency is operating it. It should go, especially since almost all agree that the project was a big mistake,” he added. Former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had also acknowledged in 2013 that the project had been a failure.

If the Delhi Government decides to dismantle the existing BRT corridor, then the central verge and bus stand located at the centre will also have to be removed. Top sources told The Pioneer that the Transport Department will have to move a Cabinet note to dismantle the BRT corridor as it was constructed through a Cabinet decision.

The 5.8-km-long BRT corridor, a legacy of the Sheila Dikshit-led Congress Government, was opened on April 20, 2008 and was hailed by environmentalists and several transport experts as a solution to Delhi’s traffic woes as it would promote public transport.

However, poor implementation and bad planning resulted in massive traffic jams in lanes meant for private vehicles. Poor management often saw private vehicles enter or cross over to the bus lane, which, by virtue of being in the middle of the corridor, only created a larger mess at intersections.

After considerable public outcry, the Government experimented with various ways of operating the BRT, opening it up completely for private vehicles at one point, but all methods failed to solve the problem.