A multi-modal form of transport development; minimising the number of personal vehicles by giving priority to public transport system; and financial strengthening of public transport undertakings such as the KSTRC; are among the various recommendations that have emerged at the conclusion of the two-day national seminar on ‘Transport Vision Kerala-2030’ organised by the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC) in the city.
Twenty-five technical papers were presented during the seminar, attended by around 150 delegates.
Visions are good only so far as they are implemented, said Chief Secretary K Jayakumar IAS, who addressed the gathering on the second day. He said the major problem facing implementation of the various projects is the “compartmentalised thinking” among the various departments, resulting in a lack of integration. Another issue is the fact that not completing a project on time is considered natural when it is illegal and immoral, he added.
Minister for Public Works V K Ebrahim Kunju echoed the Chief Secretary’s words in his valedictory address but insisted that projects can be completed on time if the will is there, citing the example of the recently-renovated Murinjapalam bridge, whose work was completed within the allotted deadline of 200 days.
The Minister had his own recommendations to add to the seminar.
“Transferable Development Rights (TDR), which has worked well in Mumbai, is a possible solution for dealing with the problems arising from land acquisition,” he said. TDR is a technique where growth can be voluntarily transferred from places where a community would like to see less development to places where it would like to see more development.
The Minister also suggested the introduction of vehicle-taxes along the Singapore model, where owning a car is a costly business thanks to the various fees and taxes imposed on vehicle owners, to reduce the congestion on roads arising out of the increasing number of private vehicles.
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