Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir administration on Friday accorded sanction for the establishment of Unified Metropolitan Transport Authorities (UMTAs) for the twin capital cities of Srinagar and Jammu, an official order said.
Jammu & Kashmir’s Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam will head the 20-member UMTAs.
The members include a nominee each of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban affairs, National Highways Authority of India, Northern Railways, Airports Authority of India and Inland Waterways Authority of India, among others.
Besides, two experts from the field of urban transport are nominated by the government. The order, issued by Commissioner Secretary, General Administration Department, Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, said UMTAs for metropolitan regions of Jammu and Srinagar were set up under Section 16A(1) of Jammu and Kashmir Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MRDA) Act. The terms of reference of UMTAs include securing development of an integrated, efficient, modern, multi-modal mobility system including non-motorized means of mobility with focus on movement of people and goods instead of vehicles for the area falling in the jurisdiction of the MRDA, among others.
The UMTAs will work to prepare a strategic plan through such internal or external consultations as deemed necessary or expedient for developing an integrated, efficient, modern and multi-modal mobility system, the order said.
These authorities will also formulate a policy for developing the transport system in the twin cities, to identify sources of finance for the development of transport infrastructure and to identify need and finalize regulatory mechanism to regulate integration between different modes, safety, fares, interoperability, and other allied aspects.
The UMTAs will also promote research and development on mobility, the order said
