CHENNAI: Mobility projects worth Rs 95,000 crore are being taken up by various agencies in Chennai as Chief Minister MK Stalin is all set to chair the first meeting of Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) on Thursday.
The meeting will be held 12 years after the CUMTA Act came into being. The Act, passed in 2010 during the regime of then chief minister M Karunanidhi for coordination and streamlining of the activities of agencies involved in planning, operating and managing transportation systems, was notified only in January 2019. It was later amended in September 2020 by appointing the chief minister as chairman.
As the focus is on bringing all transport organisations under CUMTA, it came to light that 25 projects worth Rs 69,000 crore are ongoing while 55 projects or studies worth Rs 26,000 crore have been proposed, sources told TNIE.
During the meeting on Thursday, the second amendment to the CUMTA Act will be taken up, added sources. The new amendment will result in a two-tier structure for CUMTA.
CUMTA will be supported by an executive committee headed by the chief secretary. The committee will be responsible for decisions related to implementation and operations, whereas the authority will be responsible for major policy-level decisions pertaining to urban transport. Besides, new members will be drafted. They could be special invitees dealing with the urban built environment and transport planning.
The amendment would also offer clarity on the post of member-secretary or chief executive officer.
The Act states that the chief urban planner (transport), Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority, shall be the member-secretary of the Authority and will be appointed by the government. Other issues, including ratification and approval for the tender process of updating the Comprehensive Mobility Plan for the proposed expanded Chennai Metropolitan Area covering 5,904 sq km could also be discussed.
What to expect
The new amendment will result in a two-tier structure for CUMTA and would offer clarity on the post of member-secretary or chief executive officer