UP to set up transport regulator

A regulatory commission on the lines of the power and telcom regulatory bodies is on the anvil in Uttar Pradesh (UP) for the transport sector. The UP government has taken an in-principle decision to set up the UP Transport Regulatory Commission (UPTRC) regulatory body. The commission will be created by an act of the assembly and the draft legislation is likely to be soon placed before the cabinet for final approval.

The five member UPTRC is proposed to be headed by a retired IAS officer of chief secretary rank with experience in transport sector. The four members of the commission will be experts on bus operation, station management, finance and legal affairs.

"The top priority for the UPTRC will be to ensure that private operators ply their fleet on the rural routes which are not commercially attractive. For ensuring this a GPS control room will be set up within the premises of the office of the regulatory commission," said Desh Deepak Verma, principal secretary transport, UP government.

With the creation of the transport regulator, this sector will be open for investment to private sector players. The creation of the regulator will finally end the monopoly of the UPSRTC, on the 460 routes in the state which were recently de-nationalised by the state government.