Title - Panipat residents’ wait for RRTS to get longer: Proposal to construct hi-speed corridors hits roadbl

Panipat : Residents’ wait for the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS), which was to connect the city with the national capital reducing the travel time to less than 45 minutes, is likely to get longer as the proposal to construct the hi-speed corridors has hit roadblocks.Sources said the Highways Minister had objected to the proposal to build the corridor on the median of the NH-1 or the green belt along the road as it could create hurdles in the construction of flyovers and underpasses in future. The sources said there were problems in the acquisition of land along the NH-1 for the project. With the ministry turning down the proposal to use the median on the road to construct the corridor, the RRTS might not become a reality till a suitable solution was found to the problem, the sources added.A high-level team of technical experts, which had inspected the Delhi-Panipat stretch had given its approval for the construction of the corridor, the work on which was expected to start early next year and was to be completed by 2016. The link was expected to provide fast and reliable connectivity to local residents who commute between Delhi and Panipat on a daily basis.It was learnt that the Delhi Government had also objected to the RRTS entering the city and instead proposed that the system be limited to the outskirts of the city. According to the original plans, the Delhi-Sonepat-Panipat corridor was to end near Kashmere Gate. The Delhi Government stated that the RRTS would not only lead to chaos but would also add to congestion, the sources said.Meanwhile, the latest developments have not gone down well with local residents, who were expecting the RRTS to solve many problems. Manu Bhardwaj, a local trader who frequently visits the national capital, said other than facilitating fast movement, the RRTS could have boosted the local economy as reaching Delhi could have become easier for the city residents.Pratik Mishra, another trader, said they were dismayed by the unexpected delay in the project.