Ranchi, June 27: The skybus, which could have taken care of the capital?s traffic problems, has run into a government wall.

Konkan Railway, which had thought up the skybus service, had approached the government several times with the project under which two coaches would run on tracks constructed on elevated pillars across the city.

The government had initially shown interest in the service, but with the passage of time, the proposal has been placed on the backburner.

Konkan Railway had included Ranchi in its list of cities where it feels the skybus could ease traffic congestion. It says it is even prepared to build a power plant to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply to the coaches.

A successful test of the skybus was conducted on a 1.6-km track in Goa a few months ago. Officials from different states were present at the show to know the nitty-gritty of the project and assess its technical viability. But Konkan Railway officials maintain that nobody from Jharkhand took part in the event.

Konkan Railway officials said the proposal was presented before the chief minister last year when he had apparently shown interest. But the elections and the subsequent chaos over government formation ensured that the project was given a go-by. Thereafter, the proposal was handed over to the transport department for assessment, which in turn forwarded it to the urban development ministry.

A senior Konkan railway official said: ?After the initial presentation of the proposal, we again approached the government and also requested them to allocate an amount of Rs 1 crore for making the project report of Ranchi and at the same time survey the technical viability of the skybus service. But to this day, the government has not approached us with anything. We are into negotiations with officials in Pune and going by the response, the skybus may well be finalised in the city pretty soon.?

According to the initial survey done by the Konkan Railway officials, the project would involve the construction of 10 metre high pillars and laying of tracks on them. The route would have covered Project Building, Hatia, Hinoo, Birsa Chowk, the high court, Main Road, Albert Ekka Chowk, Kutchery Road, Bypass and Kadru.