Q&A/ M Ramachandran The Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) may have failed to charm the Delhi commuter, but it is working well in many cities around the world. About Rs 3,500 crore have been committed from the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for its introduction in another 8-10 Indian cities. Urban Development Secretary M Ramachandran discusses the system with Anjuli Bhargava and the steps necessary to make it work: Which cities are suited to an MRTS and which ones to a BRTS?
The September 2008 deadline for launching phase-1 of the BRTS is unlikely to be met as bidding for the bus services will be conducted afresh. Although officials are still confident that the bus services would be launched by the end of 2008, in the first stretch from RTO to Pirana, they will be racing against time to achieve that.
Till about four years ago, this lane of Maninagar's Mukti Maidan area was used more as a public urinal and a garbage dump. Today, it's the greenest street in this part of town. All thanks to the efforts of one man who has not just transformed this smelly street but also created several oases in Maninagar and Khokhra. Meet 80-year-old Philip Macwan, who is green at heart and has single-handedly planted over 1,000 trees over the past decade.
Guess who's set to drive the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) once it rolls into the city? It's the Amdavadi women, who are ready to hop onto this clean-green mode of transport. An elaborate household survey conducted in March this year to determine the willingness of commuters to shift to BRTS revealed that a whopping 43.19 per cent of women surveyed, cutting across all economic strata, said they would love to take the BRTS. In contrast, 31.9 per cent men said they would prefer the BRTS.
Not just high on hormones, this quartet is equally charged up about saving the environment with their e-cycle, finds Ankur Jain Is your ever-escalating fuel bill giving you a heartburn? Then this gang of four Amdavadi students may just have the right solution. An alternative that will not just lighter on your pocket but also healthy and eco-friendly to boot. Meet Thor, a battery-operated e-cycle designed by Standard XI science stream students of Ahmedabad's Eklavya school
In coordination with local partner the Center for Environmental Planning and Technology, ITDP is providing direct technical assistance to Ahmedabad, India for the development of a Bus Rapid Transit system. The design of Ahmedabad
If all goes well, an ambitious proposal to increase Floor Space Index (FSI) within the 250-metre radius of the BRTS corridor to encourage development along the route, is being planned by the state urban development department. It is proposed that all developers along the 120.5 km of the corridor can get an extra FSI over the existing 1.8 FSI. This increases the FSI to 2.8. The proposal has been forwarded to the Central ministry of urban development for approval and is being simultaneously discussed in the state urban development department over its feasibility.
This report summarizes the activities associated with the FTA Mission to India conducted in September 2007. The mission provided the U.S. delegation with the opportunity to meet with senior Indian transportation officials, and to gain first-hand knowledge of India's current plans for transportation infrastructure improvements. The tour was also designed to identify any lessons learned for the U.S. transit industry, particularly in relation to the implementation and operation of Bus Rapid Transit systems, and to identify opportunities for U.S.
The Union Ministry of Urban Development has chalked out a quality bus system plan, under which the bus rapid transit system project has started in eight cities
International conferences mark changes in thinking and approaches. They also set new agendas for action. The first set of international recommendations to guide environmental education were developed in Tbilisi, Georgia in 1977. The 4th International Conference on Environmental Education, held in Ahmedabad, India, in 2007 within the framework of the UN DESD, marks 30 years aftger Tbilisi. July-Dec 2007
