Empowered cities — that is what experts in the transport sector want from Budget 2015. “There is a lot of hype around the Smart City scheme announced by the Centre, but what we need now is to empower local bodies to expedite the ongoing projects,” said Arvind Mahajan, partner and head of infrastructure and government services at KPMG, India.
“We need to build a framework to give more powers to the States and cities in order to ensure projects like Metro Rail or Bus Rapid Transit are sanctioned and implemented faster,” he said.
For instance, the phase I extension of Chennai Metro Rail from Washermanpet to Wimco Nagar has been awaiting sanction for years now, said Raj Cherubal of Chennai City Connect. “A modern Indian city seeks money and permission from the Centre to build projects. It is unacceptable to develop at this pace,” he said.
Transport experts feel that the government should announce more Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) systems for the country and Chennai in particular. “Chennai alone needs 400 km of transit systems like Bus Rapid Transit or Light Rail Transit. Though we have the Metro Rail, it is only for 45 km," says Shreya Gadepalli, regional director, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP).
She noted that in France, there is 30 km of MRT system for a population of 10 lakh people, but in India, it is only 1.5 km and that too, only in a few cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Delhi. "Besides, what we need are proper walking and cycling tracks. Transit-oriented development is also necessary,” she adds.
