Friday, April 25, 2008

This news shows how things that are copied blindly from the west and imposed upon India can harm us tremendously

Experts for chary planning in future

By Mohlt Shanna

In New Deihl

BUS Rapid Transit (BRT) experts reckon that before going ahead on the remain­ing corridors, the authori­ties here should conduct an independent review of the Ambedkar Nagar-Moolc­hand stretch that has made for nothing short of a bumpy ride for commuters.

An international engineer, the experts say, should be hired for the remaining stretches instead of letting rookie local officials call the shots.

According to government sources, the BRT officials must -have realised by now that "blindly copying" any interna­tional model, specifically in a country like India where traffic behaviour is different, will not work. For the remaining stret­ches, the Delhi government should again review all condi­tions - weather, people, roads and nature of traffic before going ahead with it.

"The officials should also keep in mind that bus stops on the side of the roads usu­ally suit Indian cities. If they plan accordingly, they can avoid the mayhem that is plaguing the existing stretch," the sources said.

S. Gangopadhyaya, head of the transport wing, Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) said, "I cannot com­ment on projects that are in the pipeline as I have not seen the designs. Generally speaking, the BRT is a good concept. What we have to see is the correct appli­cability of the system according to the Indian situation."

Quizzed on ongoing works on proposed stretches, transport commissioner-cum-secretary R.K. Verma said, "It's too early to comment. We are examining every possibility and working on controversial issues and areas."

Urban designer K. T. Ravin­dran said, "Though there are lacunae in the management on this first stretch, awareness among the masses to adapt to public transport systems is a must. The solution to the traf­fic congestion problem is to shift more and more people to public transports by de-moti­vating them to use their own personal vehicles to commute."

mohit.sharma@mailtoday.in

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