Will consult stakeholders before decision on Nagar Road BRTS fate, says PMC chief

Pune: The future of BRTS on the Pune-Ahmednagar road will be decided only after consulting all the stakeholders, said Pune civic chief Vikram Kumar on Monday.The Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) route has now become a slugfest between political parties. NCP leader and MLA from the Wadgaonsheri constituency Sunil Tingre is of the view that the entire BRTS route from Yerwada to Kharadi should be dismantled. But, former deputy mayor Siddharth Dhende is insisting that the route should be used to its full capacity keeping in mind the growing population in the adjoining areas.Kumar, during his visit to the BRTS route in the area, said, “Plans are already afoot to decongest traffic in the area by removing encroachments by illegal hawkers. We will also appoint around 20 traffic wardens and rework some of the footpaths to make the roads wider, especially at the turns.”He added, “A system will be deployed to survey the daily movement of vehicles on the BRTS route. Once the data is collected, we will analyse it and get experts involved to find a viable solution. Citizens and other stakeholders will also be consulted before arriving at a decision.”The civic chief has also instructed the civic officials to remove construction material for metro works that is lying unattended on the BRTS route.Tingre, while talking to TOI, said, “As per our study over 3.25 lakh vehicles pass through the Nagar road on a daily basis. The BRTS is proving to be a major hurdle in the smooth flow of traffic. The system is not just underutilised, it is also a major cause of accidents in the area. Hence, we have been asking the administration to remove the BRTS lane.”Dhende, while putting forth his point, said the city has seen massive expansion of the IT sector after 2007. “Other sectors have also developed and that is straining the infrastructure of the city. The BRTS was implemented to enable smoother public transport system before the metro project came into existence. The central and state governments along with the PMC have spent crores for making the BRTS a reality,” he said.The project was implemented at Solapur Road, Satara Road, Nagar Road, Old Mumbai Pune Road and Alandi Road. “During the last three years, traffic jams have become common due to the ongoing work for the metro. Thus, the BRTS route, which has been closed for three years, should be made operationalised in full capacity in places where metro work has stopped,” Dhende said.“Around 1,000 new buses will soon be added to the PMPML fleet. This will provide relief to the citizens if the buses are operated on the BRTS route,” he added.Meanwhile, the PMC started its survey of vehicles from Tuesday. The survey will note down information of the vehicles and their types. The administration will also consider the frequency of PMPML buses on the BRTS route.