[sustran] ‘Bad governance fails urban transport’

[Vinay Baindur]

http://www.tehelka.com/story_main52.asp?filename=Fw260512Bad.asp


*‘Bad governance fails urban transport’*


*Sakshi Denis*
New Delhi

Rakesh Mohan, Chairperson (C), National Transport Development Policy
Committee releases the report Getting Urban Transport on Track

Photo: Naval Hans

*THE BUREAUCRATICALLY-*structured government policies are too difficult to
be implemented, said a top official on Friday, highlighting the loopholes
in urban transport planning in the country.

 “They (government policies) are bureaucratically-structured. There is no
expertise in planning. Urban metropolitan transport authorities must set
up. There should be a proper governance structure to bring all these
authorities together,” said Rakesh Mohan, chair-person, National Transport
Development Policy Committee on Friday.

The metro network of trains is not feasible for smaller cities, said the
former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) deputy governor, on the sidelines of the
FICCI-India Urban Transport Summit-2012.

“I have nothing against metros (but) the transportation system in cities of
two million people (is not feasible). There is a metro mania going on. It
is not a question of public or private (partnership),” Mohan said while
releasing a FICCI-KPMG report named *Getting Urban Transport on Track*.

“Metro and rail-based urban transport projects are the most capital
intensive of options and may not necessarily be beneficial in terms of
lifetime energy costs,” observed Mohan, who has also served as a secretary
in the Department of Economic Affairs.

Underlining that 30-40 percent of urban travellers are upset by the lack of
footpaths and other facilities for them, he insisted that even a country
like India ‘caters to cars’ and not the common man.

*"Metro and rail-based urban transport projects are the most
capital-intensive and may not be beneficial in terms of lifetime energy
costs”*

*Rakesh Mohan
**Chairperson, National Transport Development Policy Committee*

For better urban planning, he called for identification of the requirements
of the people.

The government seems to have qualms while using the public-private
partnership (PPP) mode for urban transport, noted the report. Out of the
113 metro rail projects analysed, merely 13 cities had some sort of
public-private partnerships while the rest were all controlled by the state.

Significantly, a Ministry of Urban Development paper on the finance of
metro projects released in April 2012 states that PPP-based rail projects
have not flourished globally. Notably, the report also favoured a more
eco-friendly urban transport system.