Pramesh S Jain
The Karnataka government has constituted the Urban Mobility Mission Committee for Bengaluru (UMMCB) under the chairmanship of Home Minister Priyank Kharge,bringing government agencies,private mobility platforms,technology companies,experts and citizen representatives onto a common platform to find integrated solutions to the city’s growing traffic problems.
The committee has been formed through an order issued by the Home Department with the objective of making Bengaluru’s urban transport system more integrated,efficient,sustainable and technology-driven.
“Instead of addressing Bengaluru’s traffic problems through isolated measures,the mission will bring all stakeholders onto a single platform and formulate comprehensive solutions,”Priyank Kharge said.
The government order points out that Bengaluru is facing multiple mobility challenges,including increasing vehicular congestion, longer travel times,inadequate first- and last-mile connectivity,lack of coordination among public transport systems,parking problems, goods movement and pressure on road space.
These issues,the government said,are affecting the city’s productivity,economic efficiency and quality of life.
Home Minister to Head Committee:
The committee will be headed by the Karnataka Home Minister,with the Additional Chief Secretaries of the Urban Development Department serving as vice-chairpersons.
Senior officials from the Home Department,Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA),Bengaluru City Police,Urban Development Department,infrastructure agencies, BBMP-related agencies,Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT),Transport Department, BMTC, Bengaluru Metro,BWSSB,Public Works Department, K-RIDE,KSRTC,BESCOM,KPTCL and national highway agencies will be represented on the committee.
Private mobility and transport platforms,including Namma Yatri,MoveInSync,Uber,Rapido,Ola and BluSmart, have also been included.
Representatives from hotels,schools and colleges, auto-rickshaw and taxi associations,employee transport service providers and parking technology companies will participate in the mission.
Delivery and logistics companies such as Swiggy, Zomato,Amazon Logistics and Flipkart will also be represented.
Technology and employment hubs,including Outer Ring Road companies,Manyata Tech Park,Whitefield, Electronic City,ITPL/ITPB,Bagmane Tech Park and Embassy TechVillage,have been brought into the framework.
Academic institutions such as the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), International Institute of Information Technology-Bangalore (IIIT-B) and IIM Bangalore,along with civil society representatives working on road safety and sustainable mobility, will also participate.
Data-Driven Traffic Management:
The mission will focus on data-driven traffic management,with priorities including greater coordination among government agencies,formal participation of private mobility and logistics companies, and integration of public transport,private transport,first- and last-mile connectivity and pedestrian infrastructure.
The committee will also work on improving commuter experience,safety and connectivity,encouraging public transport use and developing practical solutions for traffic problems around major employment hubs such as the Outer Ring Road, Manyata Tech Park,Whitefield and Electronic City.
Real-time data sharing and dashboard-based monitoring will form a key part of the initiative,Kharge said.
Seven Task Forces:
Seven task forces have been constituted under the committee to focus on specific areas:
Traffic management and road safety.
Public transport coordination.
First- and last-mile connectivity.
Corporate and technology-sector mobility.
Digital mobility and data.
Urban freight and delivery traffic.
Infrastructure and roadwork coordination.
The task forces will work towards preparing a common Bengaluru mobility action plan,identifying roads and junctions prone to severe congestion,improving coordination between public and private transport operators and developing a Bengaluru Mobility Dashboard.
They will also work on establishing data-sharing mechanisms,improving first- and last-mile connectivity around Metro,bus and suburban railway stations, expanding pedestrian and cycling infrastructure,and monitoring the progress of measures taken to address congestion.
Quarterly Review:
The UMMCB will meet once every three months under the chairmanship of the Home Minister.The task forces will also hold quarterly meetings.
Progress reports will be submitted every three months, while an annual report will be submitted to the Karnataka government.
The government expects the new institutional framework to move Bengaluru’s traffic management away from isolated interventions towards coordinated, technology-enabled and data-driven urban mobility planning.
