Ahmedabad received an early Diwali present this year when Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) in the city on Wednesday. At the function at the Dharnidhar bus stand, he appealed to the citizens of Ahmedabad to use to BRTS to do their bit to save the environment as well as money.
“There is no need to explain the concept of saving money by travelling by bus, to the citizens of Ahmedabad. This will also save fuel and save the city from pollution. There is a big difference between when 60 people drive scooters and when 60 people ride on a bus,” Modi said.
At a time when crores of money are being spent on building airports and to run special trains, Gujarat has come up with modern public transport, the chief minister said. The citizens of Ahmedabad arrived at Chandranagar in thousands as Modi took a ride on a ride BRTS bus.
The chief minister termed the BRTS project as one for the common people. “Instead of building commercial complexes, we have used the land to build a transport system that can be used for rapid commuting,” he said, adding, “There should be a limit to the negativity. The Congress cannot tolerate the development in Gujarat.”
Modi also touched on the matter of funding for the BRTS project, on Wednesday. “We have invested around Rs9,000 crore for the 90-km-long BRTS project. The Centre has only given back the money that was paid by the people of Gujarat. It is unfortunate that those who have given only Rs5 crore to Rs15 crore for the project want to take credit for the entire work,” he said.
Citing the example of the Kankaria and Sabarmati development projects, Modi asked why the Congress could not envisage such projects. “The Sabarmati riverfront development has the potential to become like Hong Kong,” he said.
Kirit Solanki, MP from the Ahmedabad West, said that the state government has provided a model of mass transportation. “The cost of any project goes up by 30 to 40 per cent because of price hikes, while the central government has provided funds only on the basis of the estimated costs,” he said.
