The 15-member select committee constituted by the State Legislature on the Kerala Metropolitan Transport Authority (KMTA) Bill will hold a sitting at the Collectorate here on Friday to discuss the formation of the new authority and the challenges ahead. Officials from the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD), police and other government departments concerned will give their suggestions to the committee. KMTA aims at providing a unified command and control system for integrating various modes of transport in major cities, including Kozhikode, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, and meet demands of passengers.
The Transport Minister is the chairman of the 15-member select committee comprising people’s representatives and experts in the field. In the case of Kozhikode, the proposed Busport project too will be discussed and finalised on Friday.
Bringing all modes of transport under a single authority and a single ticketing system is the main attraction of the new Bill, MVD officials say. The proposed Urban Metropolitan Transport Authority for cities will have more powers under KMTA, they add.
Under the system, a single ticket or a smart card will help passengers choose any mode of transport including buses, autorickshaws, metro rail, and boats. Officials point out that a trial run of the basic version of such a smart card is now under way in Kochi. Officials say the Bill, now under the consideration of the Select Committee, is one of the requisites to comply with the Central government’s Metro Rail Policy-2017.
