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It happens only in India, this practice of running separate ministries or departments for roads, rail, airways, shipping and urban transport. This has led — as Rakesh Mohan, chairman of the National Transport Development Policy Committee (NTDPC), pointed out to this newspaper — to the absurd prospect of an expressway and dedicated freight corridor stretch being planned along the same route at the same time. More a case of blowing up scarce resources based on a project-centric approach rather than integrated transport infrastructure development. The way out of such confusion, as Mohan has suggested, is to merge transport-related ministries, including the Railways, into one, run by competent and accountable professionals. True, there could be political issues here, especially in a coalition era where ministries are allocated to constituent parties that use these to push projects specific to their regions. Hopefully, this could change with a government enjoying a decisive mandate to bring greater focus and coordination into policymaking, including for the transport sector.

Crucial to this is the need for stepping up the role of the Railways, the most energy-efficient of all transport forms, as a carrier of both freight and passenger traffic. The share of railways in total inter-regional traffic has fallen sharply in the last six decades — from 90 per cent to 30 per cent for freight and, amazingly, from 70 per cent to 10 per cent in passenger transport. In a scenario where our coal production is expected to rise 2.5 times over the next 20 years and steel use by eight times, it would obviously call for huge investments in rail infrastructure. This is best created through transparent public-private partnerships. The same goes for urban transport. Cars, two-wheelers and other contraptions now clog our roads, while public transport is neglected because its positive externalities are not fully understood. A long commute eats into productive time. Besides the economic losses on this count, one needs to also factor in the adverse health effects from stress and pollution. Policymakers who discount these ‘mundane’ facts also underestimate the hidden gains arising out of an affordable metro ride or a rapid transit bus system.

Discussions on urban transport solutions should also be based on the kind of cities we want — an issue not really figuring in the reports of the NTDPC. Mass rapid public transit systems can, no doubt, help de-congest cities by allowing people to commute from distant suburbs without having to stay close to their place of work. But this needs to be combined with promoting satellite cities and towns. One way to do this is by offering tax breaks and other fiscal incentives for development of commercial and office space in these areas. These, apart from contributing to more healthy and decentralised real estate development, will also lead to more sustainable transport solutions. If we want to emulate the best cities in the developed world, we need to also ensure people do not choose private transport simply as a default option.   

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