Govt planning to improve transport system: Gopal Rai

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 22

Transport Minister Gopal Rai said that the government has planned to improve the transport system of the Capital and for that experts of various agencies would be invited to discuss the issue from different angles. 

A lot of work in the field of transport has already been done but still there is lack of integrated planning. Had the erstwhile government done BRT in a planned manner it would have not been scrapped. People of the area would not have suffered and the government money would not have been wasted, he said.

Addressing a conference, Rai said that the government had decided to discuss the transport issue on July 29 with four experts - OP Agarwal, Director, India School of Business; Madhav Pai, India Director, WRI Ross Centre for Sustainable Cities; Prof H. M. Shivanand Swamy, an economist and urban planner and Amit Bhatt, strategy head. 

While working for transport system in Delhi, environment is a major challenge. Besides, private vehicles, narrow streets, high growth in population, women and road safety are other areas of concern.

The minister said that Delhi is one of the most discussed and documented cities in India. The city's total vehicular number stands 7 million approximately which is more than the combined number of Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.   

Scrapping BRT corridor a regressive step: CSE 

Expressing shock at the government's decision to scrap the controversial Bus Rapid Transit corridor in south Delhi, a green body today termed it as a "regressive" step which would turn the clock back on pollution control efforts in the city.

Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said that the decision of the Delhi Government to give in to the "car lobby" and dismantle the bus corridor to take road space back from buses is "regrettable".

"This is a regressive step and gives a wrong signal when the city is gasping for breath and the lungs of every third child is impaired," said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, CSE's Executive Director.

Chowdhury said CSE was concerned that in this climate-challenged world, the Delhi Government had earned the "dubious" distinction of working against the solution for cleaner air and mobility strategies for the larger public good.—PTI