In view of the fact that the proposed Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) might prove to be a target of public ire in certain pockets, the civic authorities have drawn up plans to get BRTS properties insured.

Municipal Commissioner I P Gautam said the tenders for the insurance of bus shelters and other immovable properties would be floated soon. “We will examine aspects like insuring only the necessary portions to keep the premium at the minimum,” he said when being told that insuring the bus shelters fully would attract hefty premium. One bus shelter has cost the Ahmedabad municipal Corporation an average Rs 40 lakh.

According to Deputy Municipal Commissioner (finance) U C Padia, this is the first time the AMC will be insuring its immovable properties.

The insurance would be taken up as and when various phases of the project are launched, he said.

Even now, at quite a few junctions like Dharnidhar Derasar in Vasna and Valinath Chowk in Memnagar in the first phase of the project, discontent is simmering among locals over the closure of the junction points. This, they said, could possibly lead to violence.

A BRTS bus shelter is very sophisticated. All the control panels, electronic ticketing machines, swipe machines are expensive equipment and need to be protected against damage and theft, besides loot. As such, a proper insurance cover will prove beneficial.

At present, the AMC plans to get 60 odd bus shelters insured as and when they come up. Incidentally, the buses are the responsibility of the private operator and in any case, they are already insured.

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