BRTS crisis: Commuters harassed as Metro buses off road for over month

Charanjit Singh Teja

Amritsar, August 12

The infrastructure created for the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) is exclusively for Metro buses. During suspension of the bus service, residents face dilemma as they have commute on jam-packed non-BRTS lanes.

The local bus service is need of the city but there should be no separate corridor for it. Instead of separate lanes, Metro buses should ply on all roads. APS Chatha, president, Amritsar Hotels and Restaurant Association

The Metro bus service has been suspended since July 4. Thousands of commuters, who used to avail BRTS service, are now travelling on their personal vehicles or auto-rickshaws. These 40,000 commuters have added to the rush on city roads.

However, traffic cops deal strictly with people, who enter the BRTS corridor. Even in case of traffic jam, the police did not divert traffic towards the BRTS corridor.

“The BRTS lane is meant for the Metro bus only. We can’t allow everyone to enter the BRTS corridor as commuters would start using it regularly. If the BRTS issue is resolved tomorrow, how we will make its route free?” said a traffic cop.

“No one allowed to enter the Metro bus lanes. If a person enters the BRTS lane he is not challaned,” he said.

Meanwhile, north constituency MLA Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh has said that the BRTS lanes should be revamped. He advised the authorities concerned to remove separate corridor from middle of roads to ease traffic congestion.

APS Chatha, president, Amritsar Hotels and Restaurant Association (AHARA) said, “The local bus service is need of the city but there should be no separate corridor for it. Instead of separate lanes, Metro buses should be ply on all roads.”