Indian Express 29.09.2010
Private player to keep new road sparkling
PMC to go the BOT way to prevent encroachments, illegal posters along BRTS stretch; traffic wardens at 25 junctions
The city, which has seen several failed attempts to remove encroachments on roads and illegal posters lining them, will now go the BOT (build operate and transfer) way to prevent any such blot on the 17-km pilot Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) on Satara-Solapur Road.
The Pune Municipal Corporation has decided to take up maintenance and beautification of this pilot BRTS stretch through private participation. The move promises encroachment-free roads and no defacement of walls along the route.
“The pilot BRTS project is complete and there is a need to maintain the road constructed under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). The objective is to maintain quality of the road and effectively execute the BRTS. Due to limited manpower with the civic body, it has been decided to get the job done through private participation,” said Srinivas Bonala, Additional City Engineer (Projects).
Accordingly, the planning has been done to develop the infrastructure facilities with “no excess” financial burden on the civic body. “The work would include erecting overhead traffic signages on 36 locations along the pilot BRTS route to display traffic information and simultaneously putting advertisements to generate revenue to meet expenses for road maintenance,” he added.
The private enterprise would have to clean the entire road, including the BRT lane, motor vehicle lane, cycle track, footpath, culverts, landscaping and railing, every day. Its work would include maintaining and cleaning roadside retaining walls and compound walls. Keeping the road free of posters, banners and wall paintings at places other than PMC-approved locations will be another task.
The civic body has developed landscape area to be maintained by the agency with regular trimming of plants. Planting new ones where old plants are worn out is another job it has to undertake. Round-the-clock deployment of manpower to remove illegal occupants and tow away vehicles parked illegally on footpaths and cycle tracks will be done by the agency in coordination with the traffic police.
The agency will inform the civic departments about potholes, damaged street-lights, footpath, median and sign boards. Traffic wardens would be deployed throughout the day at 25 junctions on the route to ensure that no vehicle, other than buses, would be allowed in dedicated BRT lanes, Bonala said, adding, the kerbs, railing and medians will be coloured with oil paint every three months.
The agency will also have to put thermoplastic paint on junctions, pedestrian crossing and lane markings for the entire road, besides connecting roads upto 15 metres.
