The World Bank has asked the government to increase staff strength of civic agencies engaged in promoting urban mobility, particularly the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA).
After a five-day brainstorming session for urban mobility in the city a few days ago to finalise civic infrastructure projects for funding assistance, the World Bank stressed the need for channelling all funding through a unified authority for mobility in the city. “Currently, the process of implementation of transport projects is haphazard. There is no vision. The World Bank wants to fund infrastructure projects with a vision. So, Chennai needs agencies like Transport for London, which is a local body responsible for the transport system in Greater London,” said an official.
“Currently, CUMTA has just one employee. We need more employees for CUMTA, similar to local bodies for transport systems in other countries. Transport for London has 23,960 employees. Similarly, the Land Transport Authority in Singapore has 4,000 employees. The authority in Berlin has 100 employees,” said an official. World Bank officials also referred to local authorities for mobility in other parts of the world. For example, the local authority for mobility in Manchester has 800 employees and Paris-IDFM has 350 employees to control and coordinate different transport agencies in the city.
Officials said the delay in strengthening CUMTA had led to haphazard funding and implementation of transport projects. For example, when the Highways Department proposes elevated corridors, other civic agencies request funding for non-motorised transit, which contradicts the project. Seamless mobility in the city is possible only with the strengthening of CUMTA, with improved staff strength. “We need an institutional set-up,” said an official.
