BMC to set up 200 BEST bus shelters at a cost of ₹9 crore

Pratip Acharya

MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to set up newly-engineered bus shelters at 200 different locations across the city. These bus shelters are being set up in a bid to declutter the existing footpaths and to improve walkability on roads.

The ₹9-crore project is part of the BMC’S ambitious Tactical Urbanism (TU) initiative under which the civic body has aimed to improve the public spaces in Mumbai. According to the civic body’s plan, these shelters will be equipped with metal benches clamped with the footpath. They will be surrounded by a transparent enclosure that can give the passengers an unhindered view of the main carriageway.

Senior officials said that these shelters will use lesser space than the conventional metallic bus stops of the BEST and will be visually attractive as well.

Some of the areas, where these new bus shelters will come up are — Powai, Juhu, Andheri, Goregaon, Chembur, Ghatkopar etc.

The first phase of the project started in February, under which the civic body had set up the newly-designed bus shelters at 105 different locations at a cost of ₹8 crore.

“In the second phase, we will be setting up 200 new shelters in various places in the eastern and western suburbs. This project is primarily focused on upgrading the urban infrastructure of the suburban belt of Mumbai,” said Kiran Dighavkar, assistant municipal commissioner and in-charge of the planning department which is executing this project.

The BMC jointly with BEST traffic officials had carried out a survey to analyze some of the key locations of Mumbai, where the ridership of BEST buses is higher and the existing bus stops are in a dilapidated condition. Based on the report, the places are being chosen. Dighavkar said that out of the 200 proposed bus shelters, 30 will be unique green shelters.

“These green bus shelters will have grass and shrubs planted on the roof to control the temperature in a natural way. Also, these green shelters will be set up only on prominent locations and main roads. Otherwise, most of the locations will have the transparent bus shelter,” he said.

Similar bus stops were installed by the BMC last year in the Colaba, Kala Ghoda area which is a heritage precinct.