New Delhi: The Ministry of Urban Development on Wednesday launched a novel Rs 1400 crore green urban transport project called Sustainable Urban Transport Project (SUTP).

The project has been launched with assistance from Global Environment Facility (GEF), the World Bank and UNDP.

Under the project green urban transport will be introduced in selected cities to overcome the pollution and other hazards of existing urban transport including traffic congestion impedances for pedestrians.

Four such demonstration projects have already commenced in Pimpri-Chinchwad and Pune (Maharashtra), Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Naya Raipur (Chattisgarh) and Mysore (Karnataka).

Launching the project here, Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy said that there is urgent need to shift from personalised transport to public transport.

He said that the government has given very high priority to improved urban transport since the launching of JNNRUM. More than 12,000 buses have been sanctioned for select 60 cities under the mission for the improvement of public transport; efforts for capacity building for the better public transport are also being made.

He said that independent transport authority should be set up in each major city for the better governance and planning of public transport. He said that sustainable urban transport project aims at long term strategy to empower planners, decision makers and other professionals by building their capacity, in planning and implementation of Green Urban Transport Project.

The SUTP has been developed with technical assistance from World Bank and UNDP who are also contributing in its implementation by way of loan and grant, together with co-funding from Government of India, the states and the cities involved.

Under the project Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority will be developed in the cities besides public transport help line, traffic information management control centre, BRT junction operation, bike sharing scheme and some other innovative transport modes.
—iGovernment Bureau