Pune: In a significant development, the Municipal Corporation executed the removal of the long-standing Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route on Nagar Road during the late hours of last night. The BRT project, initially intended to connect Katraj, Swargate, and Hadapsar at an estimated cost of thousands of crores, had been a source of ongoing controversy and safety concerns since its partial implementation about 15 years ago.
The first BRT route in the country, spanning Katraj to Hadapsar, had incurred an expenditure of around 1,000 crores. However, issues surrounding its incomplete execution and subsequent accidents led to portions of the BRT being dismantled over time, particularly in areas where flyovers were constructed.
The recent removal of the BRT route, specifically the section from Swargate to Hadapsar, was prompted by the problematic planning of the Nagar Road infrastructure. The creation of the BRT route had inadvertently resulted in reduced side road space, exacerbating traffic congestion. With the initiation of metro work along the BRT line, the decision to eliminate this route gained momentum.
Even when the BRT route was non-operational, its remnants were posing obstacles to traffic flow, prompting repeated calls for its complete removal from affecting citizens. A report from the Gokhale Institute further recommended the elimination of the controversial route. Consequently, the Municipal Corporation, under the supervision of Additional Commissioner Vikas Dhakne, undertook the overnight removal of the 1.8 km BRT section from Parnakuti on Nagar Road to Phoenix Mall in Vimannagar.
