This piece is part of the series, Governance Propositions of 2022 With many new projects launched, existing lines expanded or upgraded, a handful being commissioned, and Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) being prepared for several others, metro rail development marked India’s urban landscape in 2021. While the metro craze that has swept the cities offers a comfortable and reliable city transport option, looking at it as a panacea for India’s urban mobility woes is an incorrect assumption. After decades of unplanned urbanisation leading to sub-standard quality of life for millions of city dwellers, the nation first woke up to the dire need for planned mass transport in 2006. The National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP) emphasised the development of public transportation. For all million-plus cities, NUTP recommended the preparation of comprehensive mobility plans (CMP) and the establishment of the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority. These mandates were reinforced as preconditions for cities to become eligible for central grants under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM). JnNURM also mandated the adoption of the largely-unsuccessful Bus Rapid Transit Systems (BRTS), amongst others, as a targeted move for improving urban public transport. Ever since the NDA government assumed power in 2014, the JnNURM and even the BRTS were given a silent burial. Public transport remained at the centre of urban mobility, but with a sweeping shift toward the metro rail. Following Delhi’s success and the race for its emulation by several cities, the Union Cabinet cleared the Metro Rail Policy in August 2017. Ever since, not just large metropolitan areas but even the smaller Tier 1 and 2 cities have witnessed a slew of mega metro projects being rolled out, most of which are under various stages of development, with a handful being commissioned. The laggard response of states and cities for the CMP and UMTA was exposed 11 years after the NUTP, as the metro policy reiterated both as a precondition for states to access central assistance for metro development.
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