Its budget allocates Rs567 crore, more than 60% of its transport budget, to plans that encourage motor vehicles' use: NGO
Although the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has allocated Rs930 crore for transport, more than any other sector, there has been greater traffic congestion, pollution and accidents in the city as the budget allocation is to encourage more use of motor vehicles.
This is the finding of an analysis of PMC's transportation budget for 2011-12 carried out by the non-governmental organisation (NGO), Parisar.
Pointing out the findings of the analysis on Tuesday, the NGO's programme director Ashok Sreenivas said the civic body allocates about 30% of its annual budget to transport, which is more than the allocation to any other sector.
In 2011-12, this amounts to well over Rs930 crore, and is more than the combined amount allocated to education, health, solid waste management, buildings and slum rehabilitation. "In spite of such high allocation, it is apparent that it is not getting any easier for people to move around the city," he said.
The PMC allocates Rs567 crore, more than 60% of its transport budget, to schemes that would encourage more use of motor vehicles. Only Rs169 crore (18%) are allocated to schemes that would encourage public transport. The budget allocation for non-motorised transport (walking and cycling) is only Rs84 crore (9%).
Sreenivas said that such preference in allocation of funds results in greater use of motorised vehicles. Over the last two years, there was a growth of 23% in the number of two-wheelers and cars registered at the Pune RTO. It resulted in greater congestion, pollution and accidents in the city.
He said that the budget analysis indicates that public transport and non-motorised transport are low on the city's priority. Therefore, the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd continues to languish, pedestrians are highly marginalised and cycling in the city is very dangerous. In turn, more people shift to motor vehicles, thereby worsening the situation.
He said that through such a budgetary allocation, the city moves away from the goals of its own comprehensive mobility plan, which aims to have 50% of all trips by non-motorised transport and 40% by public transport by 2030.
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