The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Wednesday passed a Bill to amend the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) Act, 2010, to make the Chief Minister the chairman of the CUMTA. This has been done to bring all sectors concerning various public transport facilities under one umbrella.
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While the Chief Minister would be the chairman of the CUMTA, the committee will have the Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Transport Minister, Chief Secretary and Vice-Chairman of the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), as ex officio members.
Previously, when the CUMTA Act was introduced in 2010, the committee had the Transport Minister as the chairman and the Chief Secretary and vice chairman of the CMDA as two ex officio vice chairpersons. Also, the committee had 14 members from various departments including Home, Transport, State Finance, and Housing and Urban Development, along with the General Manager of Southern Railway.
The CUMTA aimed at integrating different public transport facilities including the Metropolitan Transport Corporation, Chennai Metro Rail Limited and Southern Railway, by bringing out a unified ticketing system and aimed at better connectivity of the various modes of public transport for the public to be able commute seamlessly.
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The CUMTA will recommend a proposed plan to the transport agencies concerned for execution. Apart from updating the plan periodically, the new body will monitor, coordinate and evaluate the implementation of the plan.