Unified transport authorities to be set up in all mega cities

New Delhi, Dec 3 (UNI) The Union Urban Development Ministry today said Unified Metropolitan Transport Authorities will be set up in all million-plus cities to facilitate more coordinated planning and implementation of urban transport programmes and projects and integrated management of urban transport systems.

Inaugurating a three-day Institute of Urban Transport(IUT) annual conference here, Ministry Secretary M Ramachandran said, '' The present land use and transport policies in our country are leading to excessive travel by personalised modes, which are a cause of growing congestion, air pollution, noise and others.'' Describing the transport system of a city as its ''blood stream'', Planning Commission member Anwarlul Hoda, who was also present on the occasion, said the National Urban Transport Policy laid particular emphasis on integrated land use and transport planning, encouraged greater use of public transport and innovative mechanisms to finance urban transport infrastructure.

Mr Hoda said in view of the increasing burden on transport systems of cities, it was essential to encourage greater use of public transport and promote use of cleaner technologies, intelligent transport system and innovative mechanisms.

IUT patron P S Rana emphasised that increasing traffic, traffic gridlocks, journey delays, parking problems, increasing road accidents and the air pollution level in most of Indian cities are some of the most challenging problems on the urban horizon in the country.

He said identification of urban transport mode gets complicated due to variety of transport modes and technologies, land use and activity pattern, urban forms, institutional structures and individual preferences.

Over 200 foreign, state and city-level participants and delegates are participating in the conference to discuss 17 state-of-the-art presentations by renowned international and national experts on various urban transport-related issues, projects, practices and case studies.

UNI