Madhya Pradesh HC orders govt to dismantle Indore’s BRTS corridor built in 2013
A bench of chief justice Suresh Kumar Kait and justice Vivek Jain ordered the removal of the corridor following the report of an expert committee
BHOPAL: The Jabalpur bench of the Madhya Pradesh high court on Thursday ordered the state government to dismantle Indore’s 11.8km long Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) corridor built in 2013.
A bench of chief justice Suresh Kumar Kait and justice Vivek Jain ordered the removal of the BRTS corridor, observing that it was impractical in the present circumstances. An expert committee set up by the high court earlier had concluded that there was no need for a BRTS corridor in Indore.
The high court ruling comes months after Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav announced in November 2024 that the government would scrap the BRTS corridor in Indore that was built at an estimated cost of ₹350 crore. The Mohan Yadav government had previously also scrapped a BRTS corridor built in state capital Bhopal by his predecessor Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Yadav told reporters in November that the removal of the BRTS corridor would help reduce the traffic woes of the public and deliver positive results.
Two petitions were filed in the Indore bench of the high court against the corridor by social activist Kishore Kodwani in 2013. The petitions against the corridor, which stretches from Niranjanpur to Rajiv Gandhi Statue, were transferred to the main bench in Jabalpur in November 2024.
In its report, a five-member committee set up by the high court said a flyover had been constructed on AB road to ease traffic. “In the present circumstances, the BRTS corridor is putting pressure on the traffic, which causes trouble for the people due to a separate lane for BRTS.
Senior advocate Amit Agrawal said after the construction of the flyover, the separate lane for BRTS corridor was not required for speedy transportation. “The government also supported the removal of the BRTS corridor,” he said.
Urban development expert Ashok Manhar said this was the right decision as the pressure on the roads has increased over the years due to the number of two and four wheelers. “It was never a viable idea to give one third of the road for running buses only.”
