Chhattisgarh Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) to take shape by 2014 end

The Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) connecting Raipur with Naya Raipur - the upcoming new capital town of Chhattisgarh - would take shape by the end of next year.

The work for setting up bus depot in the Naya Raipur to facilitate infrastructure for the BRTS started on Saturday. The Excel Infrastructure Private Limited has bagged the contract to build the bus depot on five acre land.

"The bus depot and shelter would be build with modern technology and the infrastructure development work for the BRTS would be completed by the end of 2014," chief executive officer of Naya Raipur Development Authority, Amit Kataria said. Besides bus shelter and depot, pick-up points, workshop and control room will be set up for the BRTS, he added.

While the depot will have the modern facilities of recycling water, waste management, buses would be cleaned with the help of machines. The control room proposed for the system would also be hi-tech, Kataria said.

The Naya Raipur is being developed for the capital functions of Chhattisgarh in an area of 80.13 sq km. By 2031, the town would be house to a population of 560,000. The new capital city is located at a distance of around 17 km, south-east of Raipur.

Since people would require a good connectivity, the authority worked on the plan for implementing the BRTS.

In 2008, the initiative was taken. The IDFC Limited, Bangalore, was appointed to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for bus services in public private partnership (PPP) format. In the meantime, Naya Raipur was selected as a demonstration city for the World Bank assisted Sustainable Urban Transport Program, sponsored by Ministry of Urban Development.

To start with, the Naya Raipur Development Authority had planned to operate 50 low-floor buses. The process to procure the buses has started.