The decks were cleared on Friday for the establishment of the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) with the Assembly adopting a Bill in this regard.
The Authority has been proposed to ensure coordination of several agencies involved in planning, providing operations and managing the transportation system. It will also streamline the activities of the agencies.
This is necessary to utilise the available infrastructure and resources for development.
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K.N. Nehru, Transport Minister, piloted the Bill in the Assembly. The legislation was passed without any discussion.
Among the functions of the CUMTA is the regulation of measures for integration of all public mass passenger transport modes through routing, scheduling and operating feeder services, besides running combined or common ticketing to facilitate seamless commuting. Headed by the Transport Minister, the Authority, with the approval of the State government, will determine the fares.
It will prepare, in consultation with the CMDA, a comprehensive transportation plan, addressing the planning and development of all public mass passenger transport modes and related infrastructure within the Master Plan.
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It will recommend the proposed plan to transport agencies concerned for execution. Apart from updating the plan periodically, the new body will monitor, coordinate and evaluate the implementation of the plan.
The CUMTA will have two ex officio vice-chairpersons – Chief Secretary and Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority Vice-Chairman. There would be 14 other official nominees, including Secretaries of the State Finance, Home, Transport and Housing and Urban Development Departments and Southern Railway General Manager.
The Chief Urban Planner (Transport), CMDA, would be the member-secretary.