To address Delhi’s ever-growing traffic woes, a high-powered panel set up by the Union Urban Development Ministry has asked officials to identify four to five corridors for conversion into Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) among other measures.
Headed by Urban Development Secretary Shankar Aggarwal, the 17-member panel has also sought extension of Delhi Metro Airport Express line for making it commercially viable and construction of another 50 kms of elevated roads and underpasses to improve mobility in the national Capital.
Sources said that the panel has asked the Road Transport Ministry for a concrete action plan for the completion of Eastern and Western Expressways and the Railway Ministry to indicate measures for easing traffic congestions in and around railway stations. The Ministry has been asked to look into feasibility of improving the ridership of the Ring Rail.
The move to ask the DTC to identify corridors to be converted into BRTS comes even as uncertainty surrounds the fate of the existing BRT stretch between Ambedkar Nagar and Moolchand, which was introduced in 2008.
After introducing the BRT corridor amid much protest, former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had admitted that it was a failure due to poor planning, lack of foresight and sloppy lane regulations.
However, sources said that the Urban Development Ministry is confident of making the BRTS in Delhi a success as has been the case in Ahmedabad. The 22-km-long BRT corridor in Ahmedabad has proved to be a major success since its implementation during the regime of former Chief Minister and present Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Around 12 lakh people daily use the BRT corridor in Ahmedabad.
In its first meeting held last week, the panel has also asked the Road Ministry to prepare an Integrated Transport Plan and expeditiously complete the Eastern and Western Expressways to ease the traffic flow to neighbouring States.
Besides considering construction of another 50 kms of elevated roads and underpasses, the Public Works Department has also been asked to formulate an action plan regarding completion of on-going road projects. In view of the multiplicity of agencies involved in planning for transport for Delhi, the Delhi Development Authority has been directed to prepare an integrated transport plan for decongestion of the Capital.
It has also been asked to enhance utilisation of the Ring Rail which is being underutilised at the moment. Delhi Metro will soon submit a proposal for redesigning all metro stations to facilitate multi-modal integration as well as examine and give a proposal for extension of Delhi Metro Airport Express line to serve more commuters, said the sources.
Multiplicity of organisations involved in Delhi’s urban transport planning, non-availability of parking spaces including for DTC buses, poor integration of different modes of transport, heavy congestion at and in the vicinity of railway stations, inadequate preparedness to meet the challenges posed by the rapidly-growing traffic etc have been identified as some of the major causes of congestion in the National Capital.
Delhi has six million vehicles with 1,200 more added daily and new estimates show that daily travel trips in Delhi are expected to explode from 15 million as of now to 25.3 million by 2020.