NEW DELHI: BRT is set to spread its tentacles. Literally. The transport department has suggested to the government that another 345km be added to BRT in the city, with seven of the 18 proposed stretches - including Central Secretariat-Vasant Kunj, Badarpur-IGI and Dhaula Kuan-Dabri - slated for phase III.The transport department is already working on BRT phase II, between Shastri Park and Karawal Nagar.At Rs 14-20 crore per kilometre, phase III is likely to cost upwards of Rs 6000 crore. As of now, the proposal is a part of a Rites report on the future of public transport and awaits the government's nod. The report recommends 18 new corridors in all, the alignments for which are yet to be decided.Meanwhile, the lieutenant-governor on Wednesday cleared the file for barring Bluelines buses from NDMC areas and the notification was subsequently issued. This would mean that many of the buses, even though they will continue to ply till December 14, will do so only on restricted routes.The RITES report, titled 'Transport Demand Forecast Study on Development of Public Transport Network', was submitted to the government some time back but has been put up for the cabinet's approval only recently. "Once the government accepts the report, we will take the next step of commissioning feasibility studies for these corridors and that is when the alignments will be decided. Right now, we are concentrating on the Shastri Park-Karawal Nagar stretch because the report has reinforced the need for this corridor," said a transport department source.Interestingly, the first BRT corridor which got buried in tremendous public opposition is yet to run its full stretch between Ambedkar Nagar and Delhi Gate. The outcry was so huge that the government opted for mere line-demarcated lanes between Moolchand and Delhi Gate rather than the earlier physical division. Even now, there is little enforcement on the second stretch, even as travelling time in the first part remains much higher than it was before BRT came into being.Among the proposed corridors, the ones which may once again risk public outrage may be Central Secretariat-Vasant Kunj stretch, which is likely to pass through large parts of NDMC areas, and the Badarpur-IGI stretch which will again traverse some very busy south Delhi roads."The report has pointed out that BRT remains the best available option for viable public transport and the concept should be encouraged. That is why we are planning more such lines," the official explained. There is as yet no cost estimate, but BRT depending on whether it is closed or open can cost about Rs 14-20 per km which means that the new corridors would come at a cost of Rs 5,000-6,000 crore, he added.Once the Delhi government accepts the report, it will need to talk to the road-owning agencies concerned and this may again cause some hurdles as NDMC and MCD, sources say, may not be ready to play ball.Corridors proposed in phase III* Kondli-Gokulpuri* Mukundpur-Uttam Nagar* Gulabi Bagh-Bakhtawarpur* ISBT Kashmere Gate-Kapashera Border* Central Secretariat-Vasant Kunj* Badarpur-IGI* Dhaula Kuan-Dabri, Chhawla