Naidu calls for a public transport-centric approach to combat vehicular pollution

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : The Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on May 3, 2019, called for adopting a public transport-centric approach to decongest traffic-choked cities and combat growing vehicular pollution. He observed that our cities have been witnessing an undesirable shift from the use of public transport to private vehicles.

‘The average two-wheeler and car ownership levels in metropolitan cities which were 112 and 14 per 1,000 population in 1994 are expected to grow to 393 and 48 respectively by 2021. This would mean 53 million two-wheelers and six million cars in the next 15 years in metropolitan cities, Naidu said while speaking at the 25^th Foundation Day event of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in New Delhi. He said urban transportation solutions like the metro rails have the capacity to act as driving forces to take India’s quest for sustainable urban spaces to fruition.

Lauding the DMRC, Naidu said that it presents a blueprint for development of metro services not only to the other cities in India but also to a number of developing countries. Pointing out that urban transport was leading to growing air and noise pollution, he said that it was estimated to account for about 25 % of the greenhouses gases worldwide and spending more time in the polluted atmosphere was adversely affecting the health of the people.

Referring to the deleterious effects of global warming and climate change, Naidu said,  “ We need to swiftly move from fossil fuel based automobiles to electricity or battery based vehicular system.” He said that a relevant infrastructure especially in regard to charging of batteries had to be developed on an urgent basis to meet the emerging demand for electric vehicles.

Stressing the need to put in place an adequately developed reliable, affordable, and accessible urban public transport system,  Naidu called for steps on a war footing to make public transport the most popular mode of travel for all commuters. He urged cities to increasingly focus on introducing multi-modal transit systems. “ Public transport should take precedence over personalised motor transport and every stakeholder should work in that direction,” he added.

The Vice President also wanted city planners to make urban space safe for women, children and the elderly and make them completely barrier-free and accessible to the differently abled, according to a PIB release.