IE : Three civic bodies reject state’s plan to integrate transport : Oct 23,2007
Three civic bodies reject state’s plan to integrate their transport services
Thane, Navi Mumbai, Mira-Bhayander corporations agree to extend services to neighbouring cities
PRASHANT RANGNEKAR
OCTOBER 22
M UNICIPAL transport committees of three cor porations -Thane, Navi Mumbai and Mira-Bhayander – have rejected the state government’s proposal of integrated transport service. Though these committees have agreed to extend their services to neighbouring cities, they are not willing to merge their services under a centralised authority.
4his month, the state government had sent a proposal to the transport committees in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) stating that it wishes to have a unified transport body by combining services of all the transport units run by the municipal corporations. According to the proposal, the services of BEST, Thane Municipal Transport (TMT), Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Transport (KDMT), Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) and Mira-Bhayander Municipal Transport (MBMT) would come under one umbrella. The proposal also said that the services of buses will be extended to the whole of MMR. BEST and KDMT are yet to take a decision on the proposal.
The transport body – of the three municipal corpora tions, consisting of corporators from all the partieshas voted against the proposal. They are of the opinion that the proposal will only improve the transport system and cut down on cost.
General Manager of TMT Ashok Ranakhamb said, “The new unified transport body will not have as many members as the current transport committees have. It would be a professional body with board of directors on it.”
Sakharam Shinde, chairman of TMT, added, “The proposal did not mention what exactly the new transport authority would consist of. They have not yet chalked out the details. We are scared that the new body, if it comes into existence, will cut down on the loss-making routes. And we don’t want to invite people’s wrath if this system fails.”
Commissioner and chairman of MBMC, Sudhamrao Gaikwad, said, “Members fear that the integration of services would hit the commuters of small municipal corporations like ours.”
Early this year, the state government had already integrated two transport units of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporations and wants to implement the same in the MMR in the coming years.
“We should think from the commuters’ point of view before taking any decision on the proposal. Unification of these services will not only cut down on losses faced by the municipal transport units, but also benefit the commuters,” said KDMT’s Deputy Municipal Commissioner Sanjay Gharat.
“If the proposal gets implemented, it would end the monopoly of all the municipal transport units and will help the commuters at large,” he added. The KMDT runs 145 buses on 71 routes with an average revenue of Rs 5.5 lakh per day. The KDMT committee is expected to take a decision early next month.
Publication : IE; Section : MN; Pg : 3; Date : 23/10/07
URL :http://70.86.150.130/indianexpress/ArticleText.aspx?article=23_10_2007_523_003