Jaipur BRTS set to start

The much-awaited Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) “Jaipur Bus” will finally be inaugurated on Saturday. The service has gained a lot of public interest and a bit of protest during the trial run over the past few weeks. The project will be formally dedicated to the masses by the Union urban development minister Jaipal Reddy at a ceremony at Sikar Road in Muralipura. The project inauguration has been delayed by nearly two years following the change in government. The “in-principle approval” of Rs 469 crore was given by the Centre in August 2006 for the completion of 42 km of BRTS. The bus service was initially decided to be held on a public-private partnership basis. However, the urban development ministry decided to hand it over to the Rajasthan Roadways. Only a fraction of it has been developed while the dedicated corridors previously developed on Tonk Road were demolished and work on Durgapura elevated road has not progressed.“In the first phase, a dedicated corridor of 7.1 km has been developed from Sikar Bypass to Ambabari. Rs 65 crore has been spent for this stretch,” said the Jaipur development commissioner Sudhansh Pant. The urban ministry had sighted various flaws in the project sanctioned by the previous government and the scheme was “revamped.” As the project is funded under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), the Central government officials have also compelled the state to implement the project as soon as possible. Previously, BRTS was expected to be ready by December 2008. After several “hiccups,” the low-floor buses began plying on the roads of Pink City since June 2010 under the banner of “Jaipur Bus.” The state government has constituted a special purpose vehicle, the Jaipur City Transport Services Limited (JCTSL) to implement the project. After introduction of “Jaipur Bus,” the JCTSL will takeover the scheme of government buses in the city. Nearly 200 buses are expected to be deployed on 10 routes in the city, a high tech tracking system will also be introduced to monitor movement of buses and provide better connectivity. Special plans have been made to develop busstops. To provide more information regarding the bus system, the JCTSL has organised an exhibition at the Central Park. This will be inaugurated by Reddy at 12:45 pm on Saturday.