Sukhbir has turned Amritsar into ‘un-smart’ city, says Capt

Friday, 10/07/2015

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AMRITSAR: Amritsar Member of Parliament (MP) and former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh lamented that deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had turned Amritsar into an “un-smart city” by pursuing developmental projects in an “unplanned manner”.

Member of Parliament Captain Amarinder Singh visiting a Bus Rapid Transit System project site in Amritsar on Thursday.

“Almost every road in the city has been dug-up, making life miserable for the residents, many of whom find it difficult to reach their homes or shops. With the rain the roads will become muddy and slushy and will further add to the woes of the people here,” he said while talking to the media after taking a round of certain parts of the city on Thursday.

However, some local residents halted Amarinder’s convoy of vehicles on the busy Queen’s Road and showed him the ongoing work on the Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS), a pet project of the deputy CM which is aimed at improving the public transport system in the city to discourage people from using their personal vehicles.

The shopkeepers pointed out that the BRTS project once completed would adversely affect their business. They pointed out that the dedicated bus corridor on Queen’s Road would be a yard or two away from their business establishments and the iron grills demarcating the corridor would not only be restricting their movement, but would also limit direct customer access to their shops.

Agreeing with those who interacted with him, the MP said, “The BRTS will solve nothing. It is definitely going to affect the business of a large number of shopkeepers and businessmen.” Briefing his senior leader, Amritsar (rural) District Congress Committee (DCC) president Gurjit Singh Aujla pointed out that over the past one year or so, a number of road accidents had taken place at places where the roads were dug up for the construction of the bus corridor. Aujla pointed out that due to digging work, a number of roads caved in under the weight of vehicles.

Amarinder felt that the BRTS project should have been taken up in phases. Complete work on one phase or along one road before moving onto the next, he added. “The haphazard manner in which the project has been pursued, has made life difficult for many in the city,” he added.

Replying to a query, the deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha expressed doubts over the success of the BRTS in Amritsar.