“We are expecting the GR to be ready by next week for the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority,” said Ramanath Jha, State Principal Secretary (Transport and Excise). Aiming at facilitating better planning of transport and infrastructure in the MMR, the authority will comprise all the state government agencies. “Its members will be all state government agencies that are working in the area of transport and infrastructure in MMR,” Jha said. Among them are Railways (Western and Central), Airport Authority of India, State development agencies like the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) and Public Works Department (PWD).

“The Authority will work under the Mumbai Metropolitan Planning Committee—chaired by the Chief Minister—while the authority itself will be chaired by the Chief Secretary,” Jha said.

According to him, after the GR is prepared, the members of the authority will be informed and an agenda will be finalised, following which it will start functioning.

The UMTA will look into both the planning and execution aspects of all the projects and recommend the priority with each of these projects should be taken up.”The authority will work in planning a comprehensive unified transport plan for the MMR. All the transport and infrastructure projects will be look into by this body. Apart from deciding the finance for the project, the body will take a call as to which member agency will implement a particular project,” Jha said. The authority will advise all the local bodies regarding the execution of transport projects, he added.

The formation of the authority will also help in the execution of key infrastructure projects like the ongoing World Bank-funded Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP).

“It will help in better coordination between various agencies,” said Jha. Some key projects that were under the purview of MUTP were affected due to the coordination problems of various state agencies.