Now, MC to maintain BRTS infrastructure

Charanjit Singh Teja

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 21

Though the Amritsar Municipal Corporation is not willing to operate Metro buses under the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) , the maintenance of roads and infrastructure will be a liability of civic body.

In a recent meet, the state government sanctioned Rs 25 crore for the maintenance of roads and existing infrastructure. Earlier, it was the responsibility of the Public Works Department (PWD) to maintain the BRTS corridor and roads, which were in pathetic condition.

Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu said poor condition of the BRTS corridors gave a wrong impression to those visiting the holy city. “Residents are not aware that which government body is liable for the maintenance, but they generally blame the MC for deteriorating infrastructure of the BRTS. We have asked the government to provide funds to civic body for the maintenance. Those BRTS lanes, where defect liability period is remaining, will remain with the PWD, while remaining will be maintained by the MC,” said Rintu.

Earlier, the MC had cleaned the golden top and walls of the Golden Gate and repaired its lights in February. The Golden Gate is also under the jurisdiction of the PWD. Now, the government has sanctioned funds for the maintenance of the Golden Gate to the MC. The Mayor claimed that civic body would also take care of green belts alongside the BRTS lanes.

It’s pertinent to mention that the Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Company (PMIDC), a wing of the Local Government Department, had taken over the BRTS from the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) in October 2020, but the Amritsar MC was unwilling to operate the Metro bus to date.