Urban Transport Projects: Institutional Framework is the need of the hour

As we at CommonFloor write this, Railway Minister, Sadananda Gowda has already presented the maiden Rail Budget in the Lok Sabha. If we were to believe Narendra Modi’s words, “this budget shows where we want to take the railways and at the same time where we want to take India through the railways.”

With Rs 149,176 crore allocated for railways, the work on high-speed network is expected to start soon. These high speed network trains will aim to connect important centres, which might not lie within the same city or the state. Of course, Kudos to the new government to bring infrastructure in the centre stage but a word of caution: HOW?

The government has definitely done some good homework, the future way to financing is definitely cleared. But the problem lies just not on finance alone. It is not rare when we hear that allocated funds with state and central government go untouched due to one or the other issues. Delhi BRTS is just one example. Despite being a big budget project, it was doomed due to lack of proper planning and execution. Inspired by the BRT system in Curitiba (Brazil), a total of 26 BRT corridor covering a total length of 310km was planned by 2020. But with the current situation of the project, it seems like an utter failure.

After lying in limbo for about ten years, Konkan Railway’s Skybus project is another such example. This first-of-its-kind project in India, after spending, or if we may use the word ‘wasting’ about Rs 50 crore, the project was scrapped with an additional cost of about Rs 3 crore for dismantling it.

This morning, the railway budget gave a nod to launch the diamond quadrilateral of high speed trains. Soon, Indians will enjoy train rides at a speed of 320 km per hour. Based on the PPP model, this ambitious project will connect major cities.

Being conceived by the PM himself, about Rs 100 crore is proposed for the diamond quadrilateral project. Having said this, now the question arises that will this ambitious project become SPV with competent authority? Or will it come under the purview of MoUD or the Railway Ministry? In addition to these aspects, details pertaining to the time line of these projects also lacks clarity. In a country like ours where ‘how did it get so late so soon’ is a common phenomenon, these issues should be addressed with utmost seriousness.

While putting all this in a mission mode is imperative, learning from our neighbours like Singapore, Hong Kong, China and Japan is equally important. It is high time that the government understands the need for the unified urban transport institution. As Singapore has offered assistance in turning Modi’s dream into reality, let’s compare Singapore and Ahmedabad. In Singapore, it is headed by Ministry of Transport, which has several statutory boards (land, marine, air and public transport) and which further includes several functional units.

So, has it been a success? Well, this framework has worked wonder for the country. The congestion-free road and about 30km per hour traveling speed during peak hours speaks everything. On the other hand, one of the leading Indian cities, Ahmedabad has about 12 agencies at different levels that are actively involved in the urban transportation in the city. These include NHAI, WR, GSTRC, R&B, AMC, AUDA, AMTS, RTO, GPCB, and GIDB, to name a few.

Thus, clarity on execution of mammoth infrastructure projects is the need of the hour. Projects like DMIC that covers six states and stretches at a distance of about 1500 km needs clarity on the authorities playing major role in the project. In an article titled 5 Industrial Corridors to Look for, CommonFloor had identified and analysed five industrial corridors. These corridors are expected to be developed as potential investment regions with state-of-art facilities. But again the question arises: HOW?

Well, here few notable recommendations from Rakesh Mohan Committee Report on Transport Development Policy 2014 could be of great help. As per the report, Urban transport policies and strategies should be formulated with an “avoid, shift and improve” framework. The primary responsibility for urban transport should lie with state governments. Over time, these responsibilities should be devolved to metropolitan and city authorities, particularly for India’s larger cities with population of more than 1 million. Further, Metropolitan Urban Transport Authorities should be set up as holistic and integrated decision making and coordinating bodies with adequate technical staff.

Thus, if with certain amendments, these successful models are adapted, that day is not far when India will have an excellent transportation system at par with global standards. Also, ironing out execution issues should be the government’s first priority with these ambitious projects in place. India never had dearth of ideas and vision, it’s only in execution that we as a country fail. Hence, while the government has a visibly clear roadmap, the real challenge lies in the urgency of its implementation!