Electrification work for 20 kms of the proposed Railway track between Mandir Hasaud to Naya Raipur will soon be taken up under South East Central Railway (SECR), officials stated.
Notably, the Chhattisgarh Government will encourage use of public transport by way of allowing more density along the public transport corridors which makes public transport financially sustainable and on the other hand, reduces the usage of personal vehicles in its new capital city.
The concept of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is being adopted to make Naya Raipur a sustainable city.
To construct bus shelters within walkable range from the sectors, to connect the sectors and BRT shelters with cycle tracks and walkways, to design the shelters with facilities of bicycle parking thereby reducing the emission of green house gases, congestion on roads and reducing accidents.
Notably, the Naya Raipur Development Authority (NRDA) has plans of developing a ‘Transport Hub’ spread over an area of 161.9 hectares in the new capital city.
The hub would include setting up light Rail Transport System (lRTS) stations. The area being earmarked for the 'Transport Hub' would be 12.55 per cent of the total area of the new capital city, officials stated.
Notably, the Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) project is already being implemented in the new capital city which is expected to be completed by end of 2016, officials informed.
An interim bus service is already running between Raipur and Naya Raipur.
Notably, the Naya Raipur Mass Transport ltd (NRMTl) is in the process of developing a total of three BRTS corridors covering a total of 40 kms with exclusive ‘Right of Way’ with the possibility of mixed route extension.
NRMTl which had been established to act as a Special Purpose Vehicle to carry out the objectives of building, constructing and developing public transport system has proposed to develop the BRTS with private sector participation, officials stated.
The Corridor-I would be of 25 kms from Raipur Railway Station till Capitol Complex in Naya Raipur. The Corridor-III would be of 17.8 kms within Naya Raipur.
To facilitate BRTS operations, the NRMTl would provide depots and workshops to park and service the vehicles when not in use.
The operator would maintain 30 air conditioned buses at routes designated by NRMTl. If the fleet requirement is more, 10 more buses would be provided by the operator of similar specifications.
An ‘Intelligent Tracking System’ (ITS) would be established under the proposed Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) in the new capital city.
Naya Raipur is among five other cities in the country chosen as ‘Demonstration Cities’ for the Centre’s ambitious Sustainable Urban Transport Project (SUTP).
The final five cities participating as 'Demonstration Cities' under Sustainable Urban Transport Project (SUTP) are - Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Mysore (Karnataka), Naya Raipur (Chhattisgarh), Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad (Maharashtra).
Detailed project profiles were prepared by all cities with the assistance of the SUTP Consultants and then endorsed by the SUTP Steering Committee to be included to SUTP as ‘City Demonstration Projects’, officials stated.
NRDA to cite an example is also going for an ‘Intelligent Rain Water Drainage System’ fixed with indicators to send alert before water logging or flood situation with option for automatic valve opening system, officials stated.
It plans of developing a project comprising IT-enabled systems to manage a host of utilities using state-of-art technology.
The NRDA is also in the process of constructing a Multi-modal logistic Park in Chhattisgarh’s new capital.
Chhattisgarh’s new hi-tech capital city would also have an ‘Integrated Freight Complex’ spread in an area of 130.67 hectares, officials stated.
Early this year, Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu had also put forward a proposal that a ‘Cargo Hub’ should be developed in Naya Raipur.
He had stated that his Ministry will bear the entire development cost if the Chhattisgarh Government agrees to provide land for the proposed hub.
To this, Chief Minister Raman Singh who had met the Union Railway Minister in New Delhi and had assured the latter that his government will provide land for the project.