News Brief
From Congestion Cure To Bottleneck: After A Decade Of Operation, Indore Begins Dismantling Its BRTS Corridor
BRTS corridor in Indore going green. Representative image (CEPT University)
The dismantling of Indore’s decade-old Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) corridor officially began on Saturday, bringing an end to one of the city’s most debated infrastructure projects.
The work was launched at the GPO intersection in the presence of Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav, in accordance with directions issued recently by the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Times of India reported.
The Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) completed the tendering process and mobilised contractors to begin removing the 11.47 km stretch, originally constructed in 2013.
Bhargav said the dismantling would be carried out primarily at night to minimise disruption to daytime traffic. The first phase involves clearing station platforms, corridor railings, and safety fencing along the route.
Addressing concerns over the city’s public transport services, Bhargav reassured residents that operations would continue uninterrupted.
“The BRTS served the city well in its time; it was a project worth over hundreds of crores. The bus service is not stopping, the buses will continue to run, but now this corridor will be seen in a new and beautiful form,” he said.
The mayor added that Indore’s transport network will be restructured to reflect a modern, integrated system.
The dedicated lane, once intended to ease congestion, had itself become a bottleneck.
Bhargav said that detailed plans for alternative routes and traffic regulation have been drawn up to minimise inconvenience during the transition.
“The removal process will be gradual, starting with the outer railings and moving inward to the bus stations and other structures,” he explained.
Interestingly, Indore’s experience mirrors that of Delhi, which dismantled its own BRTS corridor in 2016 after facing persistent traffic jams and public criticism.
According to IMC Commissioner Dilip Yadav, the dismantling and construction of a central road divider are expected to take around six months.
