Delhi forms task force to bring in UMTA to streamline execution across transport agencies

The proposed DUMTA aims to act as a nodal body that brings together multiple agencies under a single institutional roof and optimise various aspects of urban mobility.

New Delhi: The Delhi government has constituted a “high-level” task force to set up the Delhi Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (DUMTA) and the Delhi Urban Transport Fund (DUTF) — a unified transport authority aimed at streamlining planning and execution across Delhi’s transport agencies, the government said in a recent notification.

The order states that increased population and pressure on roads in Delhi NCR is necessitating the setting up of DUMTA. (REUTERS)

The proposed DUMTA aims to act as a nodal body that brings together multiple agencies, like public transport operators, municipal corporations, traffic police, and road infrastructure agencies, under a single institutional roof and optimise various aspects of urban mobility.

According to the notification, the task force will be chaired by the chief secretary and include senior functionaries from multiple departments, including transport, urban development, finance, planning, public works, and Delhi Police. It will also comprise representatives from civic bodies, such as Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Municipal Corporation of Delhi and transport service providers, including Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC). Urban transportation experts may also be roped in as members.

The notification “mandates” that the task force submit its recommendations within three weeks.

“The increased population, pollution, pressure on roads, and elevated demand of streamlined and organised public transport system in Delhi NCR is necessitating the setting up of DUMTA,” the order states.

An official explained, “Until now, different transport agencies — such as Metro, buses, regional rail — have largely operated independently and planned projects and routes without sufficient coordination. The proposed authority aims to bring cohesion to these efforts, ensuring that the entire urban mobility area of Delhi is covered under a single planning jurisdiction.”

The mandate of the task force includes finalising the institutional structure of DUMTA, holding stakeholder consultations with Central and state agencies as well as public and private institutions, and assisting in the enactment of a DUMTA bill. Additionally, it will organise meetings to finalise the authority’s vision, mission and operational objectives ahead of formally establishing the body.

The DUMTA aligns with the broader national framework for a Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) — advocated under the National Urban Transport Policy, 2006. Under UMTA, a unified transport authority — the proposed DUMTA in Delhi’s case — aims to act as a nodal body in large cities. It is expected to oversee strategic mobility planning, integrate different transport modes, ensure coordination between agencies, curb overlapping jurisdictions and improve overall efficiency in public transport delivery. This approach promises to enable integrated planning, unified ticketing systems, feeder-service connectivity and coordinated implementation of transport projects across the urban agglomeration.

The project was first announced earlier this year by Delhi’s transport minister Pankaj Kumar Singh, who has also prepared a cabinet note for approval.