NEW DELHI: The AAP-led Delhi government on Tuesday decided to scrap the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor system introduced by Shiela Dikshit-led Congress government in the city. 

"The decision to scrap BRT was taken in a meeting chaired by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal," Delhi law minister Kapil Mishra said. 

The BRT, a subject of heated debate between its few proponents and many opponents, was virtually a non-starter from the beginning. While it sought to promote the noble cause of faster public transport by giving buses a special lane, it miscalculated the road space required for other traffic, with the result that the specially designed stretch from Ambedkar Nagar to Defence Colony was mired in traffic jams, high pollution and high fuel consumption from idling vehicles. The stretch rapidly became notorious for frayed tempers, accidents and delays. 

Dikshit-led Congress government had opened the BRT corridor in Delhi on April 20, 2008. 

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In March, five MLAs from the assembly constituencies directly affected by the 5.8-km BRT corridor between Ambedkar Nagar and Moolchand had written to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, urging him to expedite the process of scrapping the corridor. In the letter, the MLAs, including former transport minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, had stated, “We are not opposed to the concept of BRT.

But for the last six to seven years, this BRT corridor has not served its purpose at all. It has greatly inconvenienced the residents of the area”. He also said that Residents’ Welfare Associations (RWA) in the five constituencies have all been in favour of dismantling the BRT that has led to commuter woes in South Delhi.

Several complaints about the BRT had been received from residents of the area as well, said Sisodia. “At this stage it is an in-principle approval. How the corridor will be scrapped, what procedure will be followed — these decisions will be taken by the (concerned) department,” Sisodia said.