A sub-group on urbanization and infrastructure development, which held deliberations on improving urban infrastructure and mobility at the recently held Chintan Shibir, has recommended the formation of an urban metropolitan transport authority (UMTA).
The sub-group has recommended that the proposed authority be given the responsibility of overseeing the functioning of urban transport in all the big cities and towns of the state. The sub- group has suggested that the UMTA should be set up by legislation, and the state government must allot a corpus fund to the authority.
All modes of public transport — the city bus services operated by civic bodies, the Metro rail and other public transport utilities — should be monitored by the UMTA, the sub-group has recommended.
Sources in the government said that this recommendation, along with the others made by the sub-group on infrastructure, has been sent to the CMO. “The proposals will be discussed at length and the government will take a decision in the matter,” sources said.
The expert group held discussions on four broad topics pertaining to urbanization and infrastructure development. These are — environment management and increasing the quality of municipal services; the need for financial and technical resources for operation and maintenance of urban infrastructure; the need to strengthen the financial condition of urban self-government bodies and; introducing services that generate revenue for civic bodies.
The group discussions have also recommended that municipalities with a population of over 3 lakh be given the status of municipal corporations. If this proposal is accepted by the government, then the public transport of these growing towns will also be under the purview of the UMTA, sources said.
