Karnataka: Government panel to look into BRTS

BENGALURU:The state government has set up a committee to submit a report on the much-talked-about Bus Rapid Transit System ( BRTS), a system that is expected to reduce congestion and increase efficiency of public transport in Bengaluru. The government move came after a meeting of the Vision Group on Industries, where members made a strong pitch for its implementation.

Industries minister RV Deshpande said the committee will be headed by the additional chief secretary, urban development department.The Vision Group on Industries comprises 17 businesspersons, including Wipro chairman Azim Premji and Biocon CMD Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw. The met for the very first time on Saturday.

The BRTS features dedicated lanes, bus-ways and stations aligned to the middle of the road with fast and frequent operations. The Vision Group members hailed the bus-based mass transit system as being cost-effective and easier to implement compared to the Metro.

Chief minister Siddaramaiah proposed five subgroups within the vision group, including one dedicated to look into infrastructure development in Bengaluru. It is a real challenge to bridge the gap between industrial growth and infrastructural quality in Bengaluru, he said.“We're doing our best to add sheen to Brand Bengaluru.Since 2013, the government has provided Rs 5,606 crore to the BBMP to create and upgrade infrastructure. In the current budget, Rs 5,000 crore is made available to Bengaluru under a special package,“ the CM said.

The four other sub-groups proposed by the CM will focus on infrastructure development at the state-level, manufacturing sector, textilegarments and electronics and ecommerce.