Delhi govt allowed time to analyse CRRI report on BRT

The city government was on Wednesday granted time till July 23 by the Delhi High Court to "analyse" the Central Road Research Institute`s (CRRI) report, which has criticized the Bus Rapid Transit corridor here.

New Delhi: The city government was on Wednesday granted time till July 23 by the Delhi High Court to "analyse" the Central Road Research Institute`s (CRRI) report, which has criticized the Bus Rapid Transit corridor here.

Appearing for the Transport Department of Delhi government, senior counsel K T S Tulsi told a bench of Acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw that CRRI has submitted its study report only yesterday and the government wants to analyse it.

"The CRRI had submitted its report yesterday and we have to analyse it. The Government will file an affidavit on the basis of their (CRRI) report," said Tulsi, seeking time till July 23 for the purpose. The plea was allowed.
The bench earlier wanted to defer the matter for next hearing in August but Tulsi wanted it in July itself saying "this court`s order will have an impact on the all BRT projects in the country".

Referring to the CRRI`s suggestion that traffic moves 68 percent faster without BRT, the counsel said "any interim order of this court will have an impact on the nation-wide BRT project... The entire project in the whole country will go haywire."
The CRRI in its report to the Transport Department has said, "The result of the experimental trial run conducted on the corridor (Ambedkar Nagar and Moolchand) reiterated the fact that allowing other vehicles to ply on the earmarked lane for buses yielded better benefits for the road users compared to BRT situation."

"The trial run scenario in 2015 will reduce the total travel time and stop delay (time spent at red-lights) by 39 percent and 58 percent respectively," the report also said.

The CRRI had earlier conducted a trial run on the high court`s order and prepared the study report based on the existing traffic volume.

The Delhi High Court had earlier directed the city government to continue with the arrangement made by the CRRI during the experimental trial run on BRT between May 12 and May 23 this year till it decides the issue.

The court`s direction had come on a plea by Nyay Bhoomi, an NGO, for restoring the vehicle movement on the BRT corridor, which had been discontinued by the government after the CRRI`s trial run allowing all vehicles to ply on the lane reserved for buses.

PTI

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