Executive committee to prepare Comprehensive Transportation Plan for Chennai

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority is set to constitute an executive committee to prepare a Comprehensive Transportation Plan addressing the planning and development of all the public mass passenger transport modes and related infrastructure within the Master Plan, according to sources.

Sources told Express that the 14-member executive committee, which will be constituted under the chairmanship of chief secretary, will work in consultation with the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority and recommend for implementation of comprehensive transportation plan through the respective transport agencies.

Initially, the executive committee is expected to have 14 members who will closely monitor and resolve operational and coordination issues of CUMTA, which was notified by the state government on December 2010.

Sources said the executive committee, which is likely to have members from Metro Rail, Chennai Metropolitan development Authority, Chennai Corporation, transport department, highways besides others would update the Comprehensive Transportation Plan periodically in tune with the changes in the traffic and transportation situation in the Chennai Metropolitan Planning Area.

The committee is also expected to recommend measures for integration of all public mass passenger transport modes by means of various measures including routing and scheduling, operating feeder services and combined or common ticketing to facilitate seamless commuting options to the public, sources added.

Sources said the committee will also work on enhancing the equity and efficiency of mass passenger transport modes and para-transit modes to serve the commuting needs of the Chennai Metropolitan Planning Area besides commission studies and research needed to improve the performance or efficiency of the mass passenger transport modes and maintain a data base.

The committee is also expected to regulate route plan for the mass passenger transport modes and para-transit modes based on periodical review of routes, sources added.