'Putting CUMTA' on fast track

CHENNAI: After more than a decade since it was conceived, an interregnum during which itremained at a virtual standstill, the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) is finally showing signs of forward movement. As this newspaper reported, the State government is taking steps to expedite the process of settingup the authority that would plan and coordinate alltransit-related projects in the capital city. Over and above the requirement for such anauthority, what has now made the officials moreanxious to hasten the process is the World Bank’sstipulation that CUMTA should be functional foravailing funding assistance under Chennai CityPartnership. The role of such a nodal agency to bringall public transport systems in Chennai, includingMetropolitan Transport Corporation, Chennai MetroRail, and suburban and passenger trains, besides related departments and agencies like Transport, Highways, Police and National Highways Authority ofIndia among others, was felt long ago. The first steps were taken in the early half of 1990swhen the State government planned to set up aUnified Metropolitan Transport Authority. It tookmore than a decade and half to pass the CUMTA Actin 2010. Even though it received the Governor’s assent soon and was published in the gazette within aweek, it still took two more years to hold the firstmeeting. The initial enthusiasm seems to have wornoff quickly, and there has not been much progresssince then till the recent months.

This painfully slow progress is rather inexplicable considering how important public transport as awhole is, not just to the common public but toauthorities as well. An example of how differentmodes of transport are working in silos is the Chennai Metro Rail. The officials had to enter into

separate agreements with two and four wheeler taxis, share-autos and MTC to offer the last-mileconnectivity, the absence of which was hampering

the overall patronage.This is only one such instance where the existenceof a body like CUMTA could have helped in coordina-

tion. However, the purpose of the authority is notmerely bringing together the existing systems on thesame platform; rather, it is an idea that can transformthe way the city is commuting – and living. As the cityexpands to the margins, the daily commute gets longer and more arduous, and costs considerably more.These factors have a direct impact on life and livelihood for the urban poor and lower middle-class who constitute the majority of the city’s population.The importance of public transport is not limited tothe poor alone. The absence of an efficient systemprompts many among themiddle-class to opt forpersonal transport, and the increase in personalvehicles has resulted in a corresponding rise inpollution and road traffic accidents.What is required is a robust public transportnetwork, one that not only encompasses all existingmodes but also envisions new facilities – and eventechnology – which would take into consideration allthe aspects of the city such as topography anddemography. Such a network should be a key component while planning the city, integratingtransport as one of the key components of urbanplanning, as important as drinking water and power.

A body like CUMTA, with the Chief Minister at itshelm and a senior IAS officer as the member-secre-tary, has the potential to be the overarching authorityto not only bring all concerned departments andagencies on board, it can also push for newer technolo-gies, and better and more suitable systems that couldpave way for public transport to become the preferredmode of commute.