Delhi govt drafting bill for unified metropolitan transport authority: CMO

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has directed a task force headed by the chief secretary to draft a bill for a unified metropolitan transport authority for the capital, the CMO said in a statement on Friday.

The task force was constituted by the government in December last year. The process has now been initiated for drafting a comprehensive bill to create the Delhi Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (DUMTA) and a dedicated Delhi Urban Transport Fund.

The proposed bill will seek to rationalise, integrate and coordinate Delhi's presently fragmented transport ecosystem under a single, coherent planning and governance framework, aiming to create a modern, efficient, people-centric and environmentally sustainable transport system, the statement said.

The task force, comprising senior officials from transport, urban development, finance, public works and planning departments, has been directed to prepare and submit the draft bill at the earliest.

It also includes representatives from major civic and transport authorities such as Delhi Development Authority, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, Delhi Transport Corporation, the National Capital Region Transport Corporation and Indian Railways.

The chief minister has suggested that renowned experts in urban transportation may also be roped in to ensure that best global practices and local realities are integrated into the proposed framework, the statement said. The task force will also finalise the structure of DUMTA, hold stakeholders' consultations, organise board meetings, and identify and finalise the aims of DUMTA.