Public Transportation in City of Bhopal

PUBLIC PUBLIC PUBLIC PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IN CITY OF BHOPALTRANSPORTATION IN CITY OF BHOPALTRANSPORTATION IN CITY OF BHOPALTRANSPORTATION IN CITY OF BHOPAL

SHUBHRANSHU UPADHYAY1

ANUPAM SUNIL2

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ABSTRACT

Growing urbanization has resulted in a situation where moving people and goods from one place to

another in less time and cost is a challenge. The metros have faced this challenge and are still struggling.

The heat is now being faced by tier two cities. Bhopal capital of Madhya Pradesh has shown phenomenal

growth in recent years as an educational hub in central India. The paper covers history and present status

of Public transportation in the city.

IntroductionIntroductionIntroductionIntroduction

India has developed phenomenally at a very fast pace during recent years. The development is

synonymous with increased urbanization .The cities of India face a daunting task of meeting the

intercity transportation requirements of its inhabitants in the wake of physical expansion,

growing population & employment expansion in tertiary sector. Public transportation is available

in city of Bhopal in the form of Buses Mini buses, Magic’s, Auto Rickshaws & Passenger Tempo’s.

However it has always remained in adequate for residents of Bhopal.

HistoryHistoryHistoryHistory

During very early stages of urbanization Bhopal used to have only non-mechanized mode of

transportation in the form of Tanga’s .Subsequently road transport office introduced busses

primarily on the then existing through way from Hamidia road and Railway station to BHEL area.

Another route being Hamidia Road to Jahangirabad which was later extended till T.T.Nagar.

In early eighteens passenger Tempo’s called Bhattsuars started plying, followed quickly by

minibuses. However the routes remained the same .RTO buses stopped running due to huge

accumulated losses. The tempo’s & minibuses remained the only public transport for more than

20 years.

1 Author is Architect Urban planner practicing in Bhopal

2 Author is consultant planner with IL&FS IDC

Population of Bhopal & more significantly its territories expanded rapidly after year 2000.

Various settlements mushroomed on all major roads & adjoining villages in all directions.

This lead to huge transportation demands. However these demands could never get fulfilled in

upcoming years. A few of the existing mini bus routes were extended to cater to demands;

however no new routes were devised. Thus public transport facilities always remained short on

supply front.

During Nineties Bhopal emerged as a big cultural center. Bharat Bhawan, Ravindra Bhawan,

Manav Sangharalaya, and Van Vihar these all areas to date are out of ambit of any kind of public

transport.

Similarly from 2000 onwards various settlements took place beyond Shahpura, Piplani (BHEL),

Berkheda Pathani, and Lalghati. With the emergence of Kolar municipality area in south

direction, the demand for public transportation sprang dramatically. Bhopal during 2000’s has

increased in size tremendously owing to advent of setting up of numerous institutes offering

higher education and specializations. Various national institutes of importance also came up

during this period. Bhopal has now become an education hub in addition to being a cultural city

in central India. The growth has called for urgent need in stepping up public transportation

requirements. Transport facilities were started to some of these growth areas with new

improved luxury buses. However these buses also started running into losses due to lack of

maintenance and management needs.

Current ScenarioCurrent ScenarioCurrent ScenarioCurrent Scenario

Public transport is a thrust area in JNNURM scheme, which started in 63 cities of India. Bhopal is

also a beneficiary under this scheme. For the first time new improved city buses and various new

routes have been opened to cater to the growing demand of public transportation in the city.

Due care has been taken to improve the frequency also of buses plying on different routes.

Bus Rapid Transportation System BRTS has just got completed in the city. Objective is to mitigate

travel time for passengers through designated lane for Buses. After successful completion of trial

runs BRTS has been dedicated to public use this year. However BRTS is in its infant stage and

undergoing teething troubles. With due and appropriate rectifications it would serve as a boon

to the city.

Network of public transport in Bhopal is divided into

i. Trunk routes 3 no’s

ii. Standard routes 7 no’s

iii. Complimentary routes. 7 no’s

Trunk RoutesTrunk RoutesTrunk RoutesTrunk Routes

S.NoS.NoS.NoS.No RouteRouteRouteRoute ViaViaViaVia Route length in Route length in Route length in Route length in

KmsKmsKmsKms

1 Bairagarh Rly Station To

Habibganj Naka

Moti Masjid, New Market, Board office, M.P.Nagar 15.9

2 Bus Stand to Mandideep Barkhedi, Jinsi, Board office, Habibganj, Misrod 23.3

3 Bairagarh Rly Station to

Kokta Tiraha

Royal Market, Bharat Talkies, Barkhedi, Govindpura,

Patel Nagar 23.5

Source: Bhopal Municipal Corporation

Standard RoutesStandard RoutesStandard RoutesStandard Routes

S.NoS.NoS.NoS.No RouteRouteRouteRoute ViaViaViaVia Route length in Route length in Route length in Route length in

KmsKmsKmsKms

1 Lalghati to Nehru

Nagar

Kamla Park, Rangmahal, P & T square 11.2

2 Jawahar Chowk Depot

to Saket nagar

Rangmahal, Mata Mandir, Chunabhatti,

Shahpura, Hanuman Mandir, RRL, Saket nagar 12.5

3 Gandhi Nagar to

Alpana Tiraha

Lalghati, Taj mahal, Bhopal Talkies 13.6

4 Karond chouraha to

Bairagarh Cheechli

Kazi camp, Bhopal talkies, Lady hospital,

Rangmahal, Nehru nagar, Khushiram ayurvedic

college, Sarvdharm

16.8

5 Bus stand to

Awadhpuri

Lady hospital, New market, Paryawas bhawan,

Jyoti Talkies, Career college 13.6

6 P&T Square to Salaiyya MACT, Ekant Park, 11 no Stop, Bharat Nagar,

Indus garden 12.7

7 Gandhi Nagar to Patel

Nagar By pass

New Jail, People’s campus, Damkheda, Ratnagiri

Bypass. 19.1


Complimentary Routes Complimentary Routes Complimentary Routes Complimentary Routes

S.NoS.NoS.NoS.No RouteRouteRouteRoute Route length Route length Route length Route length

in Kmsin Kmsin Kmsin Kms

1 Neelbad to Habibganj Naka 15.9

2 Old jail to Bairagarh 11.3

3 Misrod to Mandideep 8.6

4 ISBT to Village Bagli 11.6

5 Malikhedi Khejra to Prabhat Petrol

Pump

13.5

6 Damkheda to Habibganj Naka 9.3

7 ISBT to Rajeev Gandhi Nagar 12.1


Besides ten numbers feeder routes have also been proposed for efficacy of this public

transportation network and distribution. It is being proposed that star buses and newly

purchased buses under JNNURM scheme shall remain off the road on complimentary and feeder

routes. Mini buses are proposed to run on complimentary routes where as magics on feeder

routes. A combination of mini buses and magics may also ply on these routes.

ConclusionsConclusionsConclusionsConclusions

Bhopal has just achieved a milestone in terms of public transportation with commencement of

BRTS system. A feasibility study of metro is also underway and a draft report has recently been

tabled outlining three major trunk routes for the same. Drastic increase in travel distances in city

in a short span has forced to realization among people of Bhopal with vehicle ownership to start

using public transport. Success of any transportation system also lies in this.

Business

Public Transportation in City of Bhopal