Shimla, Nov 30 (IANS): Himachal Pradesh has passed a new transport policy that will promote environment-friendly water transport besides ensuring more safety for passengers in buses, an official said here Sunday.

To provide safe, comfortable and modernised transport facility to commuters as well as tourists, the government Nov 25 introduced a new transport policy, keeping in view that roads were the main source of transportation in the state, a government spokesperson told IANS.

The policy would provide the state-of-the-art transportation facilities with high standards of comfort and safety, he said.

The focus will be on the equity considerations to provide luxury travel to commuters at affordable fares while simultaneously achieving a modal shift from private to public transport.

It will also promote quality goods transportation infrastructure at reasonable cost, with the ability to handle cargo at the shortest time.

Road safety has been given special thrust. The transport department will be renamed as the road safety and transport department.

Collection of data on accidents will be done with the help of police, and compounding of offences related to overloading in stage carriage vehicles will now be with the regional transport authority, the spokesperson said.

Being cheaper and environment friendly, water transport will be encouraged and a comprehensive study will be carried out to explore the feasibility of using water transport as a medium for goods transportation.

Alternative modes of transport like cable cars, trams and waterways, mainly in Govind Sagar, Maharana Pratap Sagar and Kol dam reservoir, will be provided and offered to the private sector for investment, he said.

Under the new policy, the aim is to encourage people to keep their cars at their residences and prefer bus services for routine travel, he added.