India seeks Japan’s help in setting up intelligent urban transportation [July 2012]

India has sought Japan's assistance in setting up more urban transportation systems. Japan has already been extending financial assistance for the construction of Delhi Metro.
Union Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath has acknowledged Japan's assistance in the development of India's urban transportation, elicited more assistance and invited investors to the Indian markets while talking at the India-Japan Business Summit held in Tokyo.
The Minister said, “The strategic partnership between India and Japan holds tremendous potential to bring prosperity and progress to our two Nations. So significant has been the contribution of Japan in India and so deep rooted is the goodwill that our relations and engagement enjoy a national consensus”. Mr. Nath added that India and Japan together can be the engines of the Asian economic community.
The Indian Government has sought further co-operation from Japan in the areas of urban monorail projects, intelligent transport systems and Regional Rapid Transit Systems (RRTS). The other issues discussed included the need for closer co-operation and sharing of knowledge in the areas of Transit Oriented Development along Mass Transit Corridors. Proper development in transit corridors implies densification in these areas thereby reducing the overall travel demand and generating substantial urban space. Capacity building including design of Metro Stations to do multimodal integration and revenue generation was also discussed during Mr. Nath’s visit to Tokyo. Other aspects of urban infrastructure such as water supply, waste management and sewage disposal also formed part of discussion.

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