The Union ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA) has conferred the ‘Excellence in Urban Transport’ Award on Maha Metro. This award was presented by Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister for Urban Affairs, Housing, Petroleum and Gas, in New Delhi on October 29. The Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) Durga Shanker Mishra graced the presentation ceremony. The award was received by Maha Metro Managing Director Dr Brijesh Dixit.
This award has added another feather in the cap of the agency. It is also a matter of great pride for Nagpurians. Maha Metro has been chosen for this award due to excellent implementation of multi-modal integration in Nagpur. Urban Mobility India had invited entries from all metro rail corporations of India for this award in the form of written information and a presentation.
· *Main Aim:*
Nagpur Metro is the first metro rail agency in India that has prepared a detailed plan for comprehensive feeder services. The feeder services include city bus, centralized public transport, e-rickshaw, e-bike, autorickshaw, electric scooter, etc. Maha Metro had prepared a plan for making these services available at metro stations. The aim of this plan is to provide fast, safe, reliable and affordable feeder service to metro passengers.
· *Steps taken by Maha Metro:*
The main steps taken by the agency include constructing pick-up and drop bays for city buses and other feeder vehicles near entrances and exits of metro stations, separate footpaths for pedestrians, cycling tracks, bicycle parking, parking for two-wheelers and four-wheelers, parking for physically challenged and provision for carrying bicycles in metro trains.
The award presentation was held as a part of Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference 2021. Minister Puri said that urban population in the world was growing very fast and would be 60% of the total in 2030. Over 30% of the world’s energy consumption would be due to urban transport. Keeping this fact in mind India had chalked out a programme to ensure sustainability in urban transport. Under this policy, 50 cities in India will have metro systems by 2024.
*In his address MoHUA Secretary Mr Mishra:* spoke about the transportation challenges being faced due to rapid urbanization. He stressed the need for making rapid progress while meeting these challenges. The theme for this year’s conference was `Mobility for All’.
*MMI since Inception of Nagpur Project: Dr Brijesh Dixit:* participated in a panel discussion ‘Best Practices in Integrated Public Transport’ organized as part of. He said that Nagpur Metro had started designing multi-modal integration (MMI) right from the inception of the project. “We have given highest priority to physically challenged. We joined hands with auto rickshaw drivers to make them a part of Metro. We have given highest priority to parking and also provide charging points for electric vehicles. Special attention has been given to non-motorized transport and made a 20 year plan with Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) for implementing it,” he added.
The panellists for selecting the winner included the urban transport experts of India, senior officers of MoHUA, Shivanand Swami of Centre for Excellence, Ahmedabad, chief executive officer (CEO) and president of World Resources Institute and other experts. Maha Metro had given a detailed presentation to these experts on multi-modal integration done in Nagpur.
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