The National Transport Development Policy Committee (NTPDC), headed by former RBI deputy-governor Rakesh Mohan has recommended setting up a unified transport ministry with a clear mandate to create multi-modal transport systems and improve service delivery.
The committee, which submitted its report to PM Manmohan Singh on Saturday, is also understood to have outlined a long-term national transport development policy and said annual investments in transport should increase to R3.8 trillion during the 12th Plan (2012-17) from R2.2 trillion in the previous plan period.
Investments must take into account environmental sustainability and safety, the report stated. The committee, which has made recommendations to be implemented over the next 20 years, emphasised the need to have a unified transport governance stru-cture. ?There is no country that has six transport ministries. The countries which had such structures earlier now have a unified transport ministry,? committee chairman Rakesh Mohan was quoted as saying earlier. ?The planning commission ought to create an independent technocratic body to integrate transport policy if there can?t be a unified ministry,? Mohan said.
