Narendra Modi announces constitution of MATA, a multi-modal authority, for integrated transport management of sky, land & water routes
Ahmedabad, Thursday: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today announced setting up a Multi-Modal Affordable Transport Authority (MATA) for integrated transport management, coordinating travel on all the three horizons – sky, land and water routes.Inaugurating a three-day ‘Asia BRTS Conference’ here, he said that it was for the first time that Ahmedabad hosted this conference of management experts from Asia, Latin America and Africa, keeping Ahmedabad’s best practices of Janmarg Limited BRTS model in view. In this system, he said, Gujarat has succeeded where Delhi has failed.
He said that Gujarat would not sit back after extending BRTS to Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara and other municipal corporation areas, but would embark upon all round urban development of roads, transport, gas-grid and broadband connectivity. He cited 108 Emergency System, Jyoti Gram Yojna and pro-poor Awas Yojna as other welfare schemes undertaken in Gujarat, neglected by the state’s rulers of during the preceding 40 years due to their lack of farsightedness and intellectual poverty.
Talking about world-class cities being developed along Gujarat’s 1,600-km long coastline, he said, developing a multi-modal transportation system is essential for safe and fast waterways, Ghogha-Dahej roll-on-roll-off service, besides using the 468-km long Narmada Main Canal for waterway transport. Water buses have already been started in River Ahmedabad for tourists. Metrolink express between Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad for connecting the twin cities is on the anvil. Indo-Japanese partnership for Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) and Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) is progressing.
Mr.Modi said that fast growing urban population worldwide with corresponding rise in vehicles, mobility and incidence of accidents vis-à-vis fast depleting fossil fuels and has put pressure on urban transport system, particularly in developing country. There are many cities in India which takes 45-60 minutes to travel within the city, while Ahmedabad and Surat are fortunate with average travel time of 20 minutes.
Gujarat’s Urban Development and Urban Housing Principal Secretary I.P. Gautam and Ahmedabad’s Municipal Commissioner Guruprasad Mahapatra spoke about Ahemdabad’s experiments with BRTS. CEPT University’s Centre for Excellence in Urban Development H.M. Shivanand Swamy proposes a vote of thanks.
The conference is being attended by functionaries from USA, Philippines, Taiwan, Singapor, South Korea, Ecuador, Indonesia, Nigeria, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan, besides officers from New Delhi, Hubli, Indore, Bangalore, Jaipur, Shimla, Surat, Rajkot and Vadodara.
