Unified Metropolitan Transport Authorities in all metros:Govt

New Delhi, Feb 23 (UNI) The Centre has recommended setting up of Unified Metropolitan Transport Authorities in all million plus cities to facilitate more coordinated planning and implementation of urban transport projects and integrated management of urban transport systems.

Minister of State for Urban Development Ajay Maken told Parliament that this was recommended in the draft National Urban Transport Policy.

He said this in response to a query whether the government proposes to set up a unified metro authority for addessing the transport problem in major cities as in the case of Delhi Metro.

The minister, however, said such authorities were to be set up by the respective state governments and not by the central government.

When asked whether the union government was aware that due to high fare in Delhi Metro Rail Corp it was out of reach of the commonman, he said under the Delhi Metro Railway (Operation and Maintenance) Act 2002 passenger fares of Delhi Metro were fixed as per recommendations of a Fare Fixation Committee headed by a serving or retired High Court judge.

The committee after considering all aspects had recommended a fare structure and the fares had been fixed by the Metro Railway Administration accordingly, he added.

Replying to a question that the required compensation had not been paid to all the people whose land had been acquired by Delhi Metro Rail Corp, Mr Maken said the full amount towards compensation had been paid to the respective Land Acquisition Collector through Delhi governmant's Land and Building Secretary.

However, actual disbursement to the land/property owners was to be done by the state government, he added.

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