The impasse over the Katraj-Swargate Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) hall proceeded into the New Year, with neither the municipal body nor PMPML concurring on when to begin the frequently deferred administration.
Pune Municipal Corporation said it has given over the path to Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML), which wouldn’t begin the administration on an “fragmented” hallway and said it would initially zero in being investigated races to guarantee traveler security.
Pune Mayor Murlidhar Mohol expressed recently that the administration would begin on January 1. Come Friday, not all that much — private vehicles were running on the hall has they had accomplished for as long as couple of years.
On Friday, V Kulkarni, top of PMC’s street office disclosed to TOI they had given over the hallway to the vehicle body. “PMPML can start BRTS operations on Friday. We have not installed automated doors at the bus stops, but completed all other preparations,” Kulkarni said.
“We cannot accept anything that is incomplete,” PMPML chairman and managing director Rajendra Jagtap said, adding, “We just cannot start the service without ensuring passenger safety on the corridor. For that, we need to conduct comprehensive test runs.”
On Thursday one transport stepped through an examination run on the passage within the sight of senior PMPML and PMC authorities. On Friday, a couple of more transports had trials.
“We also need footpaths to allow commuters to safely enter and exit the corridor. We expect the trial runs to continue for a while. We will take this opportunity and make a note of the shortcomings, if any, and submit a report to the PMC. We will allow the regular service to start only after these problems are fixed,” Jagtap further said.
The absence of computerized entryways at transport stops along the 5km hallway has been a staying point. On Tuesday, TOI had announced that the authorities were thinking about transitory fixes — grilles or shades — to begin the administration as ahead of schedule as one week from now.
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