Bill Passed For London-Like Transport Authority To Handle Bengaluru Traffic. Know All About It

The Karnataka assembly on Tuesday finally passed the long-pending Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA) Bill that aims to bring all public transport systems under one umbrella.

Aerial view of bus stand in Bengaluru, Karnataka

Source : Getty

The Karnataka assembly on Tuesday finally passed the long-pending Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA) Bill that aims to bring all public transport systems in the city under one umbrella.

The proposed authority is similar to that of London's local government body- Transport for London, which is responsible for most of the transport network in the city, including the London Underground, Docklands Light Railway, buses, taxis, cycling provision, trams, and river services.

With the passage of the bill, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA) would coordinate all forms of public transportation, including rickshaws, buses and metro trains, within the 279 sq km Bengaluru Metropolitan Area.

The Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy said that the Bengaluru city transportation will come under the BMLTA's purview and the jurisdiction of the proposed authority will be 279 sq km.

"This Authority has been planned to integrate all the modes of public transport. It will take all the policy decisions related to urban mobility," he said as he moved the BMLTA bill proposed by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in the Karnataka Assembly.

What is Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority?

The National Urban Transport Policy 2014 recommended the formation of a Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA). Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA) Committee was constituted in 2007. Through the BMLTA Act, Bengaluru aims to constitute the authority with statutory backup to regulate and coordinate urban mobility initiatives in the  Bengaluru Metropolitan Area.

The BMLTA bill seeks to supplement the National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP), which establishes a framework for the integration of various functions of institutions and departments to allow comprehensive transport planning.

In support of the proposal, Bommai said that Bengaluru's expansion was not planned, with growth on one side while planning on the other.

"The roads did not widen but everyday 5,000 new vehicles are added to the city. The city has 1.3 crore people but soon the number of vehicles here will overtake the city population," Bommai said.

What are the functions of Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority?

The BMLTA is responsible for supervising the planning, implementation, financing, and regulation of transportation in the region. The functions of BMLTA include-

• Formulating regulations and frameworks for coordination among agencies providing services in the Urban Mobility Region
• Establishing frameworks for engaging the private sector in the delivery of mobility services
  
  
• Preparing policies for non-motorised transport, and multi-modal integration among others
  
  
• Assisting the state government on matters related to urban mobility
  
  
• Making regulations and procedures to administer the provisions of the Bill

Composition of Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority

According to the bill, BMLTA will constitute 33 members. The Chief Minister will be the ex-officio chairperson while the ministers of Bangalore development and transport will be Vice-Chairpersons.

The Chief Secretary, additional chief secretaries, Bengaluru Mayor, Bengaluru police Commissioner, commissioners of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, Bangalore Development Authority, Managing Directors of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited, Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation, Bangalore Rail Infrastructure Development Enterprises, the Divisional Railway Manager and the Regional Officer of the National Highway Authority of India will be among the members of the Authority.

It has also proposed to make the experts in the area of urban mobility and representatives of civil society as its member.