The state has asked Canadian firm McCormick Rankin International (MRI) to include an alignment till Satragachhi in the feasibility study it is conducting for BRTS that would operate on the Barasat-Baruipur route. The firm had made a presentation before transport minister Subhas Chakraborty in November 2006 and had proposed to conduct the feasibility study.

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) is keen on funding the Rs 4-crore study. "The state had written to CIDA to conduct a feasibility study at its own cost. Now, a letter seeking full support to conduct the study will be sent to the government,"said an MRI official. A CIDA team is slated to visit the city soon for the study.

"The alignment would benefit more people if it could be connected with Satragachhi, Howrah, across the Second Vivekananda Bridge," said an official. Once the study is complete, the state would prepare a detailed project report to include it under National Urban Renewal Mission (NURM) scheme.

Under the new proposal, a dedicated corridor would come up at the Barasat-end that would stretch along NH-34, Jessore Road, Belghoria Expressway, BT Road and then cross the Second Vivekananda Bridge and reach Howrah. It would then stretch to the south-east running almost parallel to NH-2 to terminate at Satragachhi.

BRTS is a very popular mode of public transport in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. It only requires a dedicated bus corridor to operate. Officials say BRTS would be cost-effective because it would use the existing road infrastructure with some modifications and would not involve any land acquisition.

Earlier, IIT-Delhi had made a presentation on BRTS before chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. Cities like Pune and Bhopal are also contemplating introducing the system under the NURM scheme.