Scheme to create safe, reliable urban public transport.
Hyderabad: Taking a serious note of pollution in the urban areas, the Central government has introduced the Green Urban Mobility scheme to focus on comfort, safety, reliability and efficiency of the bus-based public transport system. The Centre has identified 103 cities and towns with more than 5 lakh population to implement this scheme.
The Central government will provide 25 per cent of the total cost of the project as grant besides a 45 per cent concessional loan. The state government and urban local bodies have to provide 20 per cent and 10 per cent respectively. The aim is to improve non-motorised transport and infrastructure. The National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP) has outlined the need to create a safe, affordable, rapid, comfortable, reliable and accessible public transport in the cities of the country. As part of this, the Centre has introduced the Green Urban Mobility scheme.
The government wants to have an urban transport system with low carbon emissions. It is also encouraging the use of cleaner fuel. The government also wants the private sector participation in urban transport projects. The Central government has proposed to cover 103 cities under this scheme. The cities will be ranked through a green mobility challenge. The cities will have to submit their green mobility plans through the respective state governments. To mobilise funds for this scheme, the Centre will set up a national fund. The scheme will also focus on pedestrian and cycling facilities.
