Mumbai choking on vehicles

The traffic congestion in Mumbai is rapidly worsening due to the ever-increasing number of private cars and two wheelers. Figures available with the state transport department as of March 2010 showed a total of 17,67,798 vehicles on the city’s roads, an increase of 93,432 since 2009. Comparatively, the number of public vehicles such as buses, taxis and auto rickshaws increased by only 5,083 vehicles during the same period. Public transport forms barely about 9% of the city’s total vehicles and it grew by only 3.1% over the year. Dilip Jadhav, the State Transport Commissioner, is reported to have directed the transport department and Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) to come up with solutions. UMTA will monitor more than 24 transport-related bodies in Mumbai to strengthen public transport.