CMDA to hire planners on contractual basis

CHENNAI: In order to strengthen the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA), the agency informed on Monday, January 17, that it plans to engage a transport planner, a town planner, and a civil engineer on a contract basis rather than deputising from the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA). 

This follows Deloitte’s submission of a study on CUMTA’s organisational structure and a staged approach to staffing it for day-to-day operations. The Housing and Urban Development Department, Government of Tamil Nadu issued an order on December 30, 2020, designating 13 members based on the suggestions. Four are on deputation, three are on contract, and six are being outsourced. According to officials, recruitment is taking place because the CMDA lacks a transport planner who can be engaged on a deputation basis, hence CUMTA is approaching the market. Similarly, CMDA’s town planner lacks the necessary skills in transportation planning.

According to sources, the state government wants to establish and strengthen CUMTA as the primary coordinating agency for the delivery of urban mobility services and infrastructure across providers of bus, metro, rail, road, and pedestrian services and infrastructure. To that end, the plan is to hire technical staff and adopt a citizen-centric vision plan.

A top housing department official refused to specify a time range when asked when CUMTA’s first board meeting would take place, stating it would be determined at the appropriate moment. The first meeting, however, is expected to take place before March, according to insiders.

The CUMTA Act was passed in 2010, during the tenure of then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi for proper coordination and streamlining of activities among agencies involved in transportation planning, operation, and management. It was only notified in January 2019, and later amended in September 2020, by appointing the Chief Minister as Chairman of the authority.