At Rs 3,348 cr,transport sector gets the lion’s share

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said the transport sector will be allotted Rs 3,348 crore,or about a fourth of the total plan outlay,proposed for the year. “It reflects the concern of our government in making the best public transport services and infrastructure available to the common man,” she said.

The Budget has proposed the construction of 14 integrated transport corridors. While seven of them,105 km in length,will be developed by the Public Works Department (PWD),the remaining seven corridors of 124 kms,will be developed by the Transport department.

An outlay of Rs 450 crore has been proposed in the Annual Plan 2011-12 for this purpose,Dikshit said,adding that the government has decided to scrap Blueline buses and replace them with a Corporate Bus Operating System. “Agreements have already been signed with the selected concessionaires for the first five clusters. Bids have been invited for the next four clusters too,” the Chief Minister said.

Dikshit said the Delhi Metro has managed to complete its second phase on schedule. “Taking into account the huge response from commuters,the government has decided to expand the Delhi Metro through the execution of its third phase,involving a cost of about Rs 32,000 crore,” Dikshit said.