Indore: Things are expected to get in order for the Rs 200 crore BRTS corridor. A day after the collector's announcement of conducting a trial run of buses, the divisional commissioner on Thursday raised various queries over quality of work under the project.
After hearing a petition by an NGO Vikas Drishti Mitra 2050, which had also filed a petition in high court over the BRTS, divisional commissioner Sanjay Dubey made it clear that safety of commuters will be on top priority. Expressing doubts over starting the trial run from April 19 as announced by the authorities on Wednesday, he said, "If the corridor meets the technical and safety standards, then there is nothing wrong with taking a trial. Otherwise, the trial run can be put on hold for now."
Dubey heard the views of the NGO as per the directives of Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh high court. He said that the technical, safety and feasibility concerns raised by the petitioner are related to the very core of the project. The petitioner had pointed out that there is a stark difference between the original design and the one that has been carried out on the ground.
Cornering BRTS officials over the issues raised, Dubey said that some of their decisions seem to have been taken in haste. "I will soon conduct an inspection of the corridor with technical experts and officials concerned to find out how the project is being executed on ground and how much it is different from the actual plan. If need be, necessary changes will be made in the project for safety, convenience and sustainability of the project," he said.
Talking about the safety concerns raised by technical experts, Dubey said, "Life of an individual is much more important and precious then the money being spent on any project. Whether the project is completed and executed is as important as the safety of commuters. Their safety will not be put in to danger. The trial run or actual inauguration of the BRTS corridor will be done only after ensuring safety of the commuters."
Petitioner Kishor Kodwani of the NGO that made the petition, said, "A large number of works on the corridor are still incomplete and despite this, the administration is eager to start the trial run. If the trial run is carried out in such a situation, it will put life of the people at risk and will prove to be catastrophic for city transport."
Kodwani said that nearly Rs 20 crore have been spent for every kilometre of the corridor. "As such, it is the costliest road and is still far from complete. Some changes need to be done for safety and sustainability of the project," he added.
