TN likely to implement BRTS soon

CHENNAI:

Tamil Nadu government is likely to implement the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) which has been pending for so long.

Tamil Nadu Housing secretary S Krishnan said that the state government is considering implementing BRTS and Detailed Project Reports are being prepared.

Speaking at 'Next Gen Infrastructure in Chennai – A City Connect Initiative organized by Confederation of Indian Industry here on Thursday, he said that the proposed Intelligent Transport System will be introduced in city’s roads by nexty financial year.

The intelligent transportation system (ITS) is an advanced application which, without embodying intelligence as such, aims to provide innovative services relating to different modes of transport and traffic management and enable various users to be better informed and make safer, more coordinated, and 'smarter' use of transport networks.

It is learnt that Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the main conduit for Japan’s overseas development aid, has submitted the draft of detailed project report on implementing ITS, which is being reviewed by various stakeholders before getting the stamp of approval from Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Board.

He also highlighted the idea of slum free cities is gaining momentum of late and the TN Vision 2023 document is very clear about implementing it in a big way as part of urban infrastructure and development.

He said that Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu stands as a shining example on that count as the district administration there has rehabilitated as many as 10,000 families living on water bodies with the provision of proper alternative living spaces to them. This is also based on the efforts to reclaim the lost water bodies in Coimbatore and save them for future use effectively.

Krishnan also said that 5,000 more families living on water bodies in Coimbatore district would also be relocated soon.

Arun Bhagat, Convenor, Taskforce on Chennai Infrastructure, CII Chennai Zone and Chief Operating Officer, GMR Krishnagiri Special Investment Zone, who set the context for the conference, said that there is a need for creating awareness on infrastructure projects happening around, all for the benefit of the people.

Bhagat also wanted the better use of urban management with the creation of intelligent traffic system, IT parks, public utilities like improved water supply and waste disposal mechanism.

M Ponnuswami, Vice Chairman, CII Tamil Nadu, and Chairman & Managing Director, Pon Pure Chemical India Pvt Ltd, said that Tamil Nadu has a strong bureaucracy now and that is a sure sign of infrastructure development getting a big boost from the government.

He made a special emphasis on decongestion of market places where people congregate in large numbers.