The Hindu : Front Page : Clear metro rail, Centre urged

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 30, 2005

Front Page

Front Page

Clear metro rail, Centre urged

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Deputy Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, on Wednesday urged the Centre to give approval for the Bangalore metro rail project at the earliest, considering that it is essential to meet the growing problem of pollution on account of the increasing number of vehicles in the city.

In an address to the conference of Chief Ministers organised by the Union Urban Development Ministry to discuss a new national urban transport policy, he recalled that the Urban Development Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, during his visit to Bangalore in February, announced that the Centre would approve the metro rail project within six weeks.

"The number of vehicles in the city has gone up to over 25 lakh. On an average 900 new vehicles are being registered every day. What is significant to note is that 72 per cent of the vehicles are two-wheelers and three per cent are three-wheelers. Buses contribute only 0.2 per cent of the vehicle numbers in the city. The presence of such a large number of two and three-wheelers amply indicate that the city does not have a proper mass transit system."

Mr. Siddaramaiah also called for tax exemptions for such projects that are of immense importance to society.

Referring to the proposal in the new policy on privatisation of public transport systems, he urged that the positive and negative effects be examined thoroughly before implementing it.

He also called for the creation of a national urban transport development fund to support initiatives on the part of State Governments in urban transport management.

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