The State government on Monday announced the formation of a Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) for Visakhapatnam region on the lines of Amaravati, constituted under the A.P. Metropolitan Region and Urban Development Authorities Act (APMR&UDA), 2016, as per an official G.O M.S. No. 28.
The UMTA will comprise members from different departments, with the Principal Secretary, Municipal Administration & Urban Development (MA&UD) as the Chairman. The Commissioner of Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) will serve as the convener of the UMTA.
Other members include the State Finance Secretary, Collectors of Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Anakapalli districts, Chairman and Managing Director of APEPDCL, Commissioner of Visakhapatnam City Police, Commissioner of GVMC, Commissioner of Vizianagaram Municipal Corporation, Commissioner of Yelamanchili Municipality, Commissioner of Nellimarla Nagar Panchayat, Vice-Chairman & Managing Director of APSRTC, Divisional Railway Manager of Visakhapatnam Railway Division of South Coast Railway Zone, Secretary of A.P. Pollution Control Board, Commissioner of Transport Department, Managing Director of A.P. Metro Rail Corporation Limited, and three experts (as special invitees) from Andhra University, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University and Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies.
The UMTA convener will convene official meetings at the VMRDA chambers at Siripuram in the city, whenever required. Currently, Mr. Viswanathan, who is the Commissioner of VMRDA, is the convener.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Viswanathan said: “A body like the UMTA exists in metropolitan cities. We have one such body in Amaravati in the State so far, and now with the latest order of the government, there is another one in Visakhapatnam. It will be a platform to discuss projects like Vizag Metro Rail. We are yet to decide about the first meeting of the authority as the order was issued only on Monday.”
It may be mentioned that the APMR&UDA Act, 2016 came into force on February 8.
On September 5, 2018, the then State government declared a ‘development area’ for VMRDA, with its headquarters in Visakhapatnam, with an extent of 6501.65 sq km with its headquarters in Visakhapatnam.
On January 18 and 29, 2025, the VMRDA Commissioner requested the State Government to constitute a suitable authority for Visakhapatnam to ensure effective implementation and coordination of various traffic and transport measures taken by the functional departments and government agencies. After careful consideration of the VMRDA’s proposal, the State government constituted the UMTA for the VMRDA development area, and officially announced it on Monday.
Published – February 25, 2025 08:23 am IST
