A separate department, dedicated for holistic planning of all transport-related issues, will look into the city's transport problems.
A separate department, dedicated for holistic planning of all transport-related issues, will look into the city's transport problems.
Officials of this department will study the traffic patterns and work on ways to integrate it with the upcoming metro and monorails. At present, the overburdened and understaffed state transport department looks into all such things.
The Union urban transport ministry has asked states, which have cities with of a population of more than 1 million, to set up a department for urban transport that would coordinate land-use and transport plans.
"The existing transport department may continue to look after inter-city and statewide transport,” Dr Sudhir Krishna, secretary, union ministry of urban development, said.
“In order to integrate land-use and transport plan, it would be desirable to have a coordinated mechanism at the state level by forming a nodal department that will help in ensuring that urban transport remains an integral part of urban planning at all the times,” he said.
"Nominating a single department to deal with issues of urban transport is important as it goes together with urban planning. Though at the Centre there is one single ministry, among states, the department is clubbed with other ministries."
The order means that the new department will look into all transport policies and infrastructure planning and take decisions in consultation with the Centre. It could also fetch states more central funds.
Transport department officials in the state say this would ensure a coordinated. "New modes of transport such as the Mumbai metro and monorail come under the Union urban development ministry," an official said. "But it needs to integrated with the local traffic system. The new department will have legal powers and the expertise to look into such issues."
Transport experts have welcomed the decision. "Taking decisions become difficult when there are several departments," J Gupta of Citizen Transport Committee said. "A single body will solve all these problems."
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}