Indian cities cry out for UMTA

As far back as 2006, the Central government, through the Ministry of Urban Development, released the National Urban Transport Policy, which recommended the creation of a Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) for all cities with a population above 1 million.

- VINAYAK CHATTERJEE

According to the 2011 Census, there were 53 such cities.

In August 2017, the Union Cabinet cleared the new Metro Rail Policy, which laid down a framework for cities seeking to introduce and expand the role of their metro rail systems. Whilst many cities have committed to new metro rail projects, there has been little attempt to understand how any metro rail system fits within the overall public transport requirements of a city and its commuters. This policy made it clear that if a city wants central assistance for its metro rail project, its state government will have to commit to operationalising UMTA a body that would then be responsible for all forms of urban transport. This would then enable an integrated approach to mobility in the city. Further, cities where metro projects are already under implementation have to consider setting up the UMTA within a year.

The 16th Report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs (20212022), commenting on the subject of metro rail projects, highlighted that it was "dismayed to note that despite a lapse of more than four years... States are yet to constitute UMTA."

To come to grips with the prevalent situation, The Infravision Foundation commissioned two focused sets of research-one by Geetam Tiwari of the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and another by Sandip Chakrabarti of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad-both renowned transportation experts.

Dr Tiwari's report titled "A Framework for Selecting an Appropriate Urban Transport System in Indian Cities" concludes with five clear recommendations: 1. Different public transport systems are suitable for different travel patterns as determined by the trip length.