BMTC sets up corpus for sustainable transport

The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has created a corpus of Rs 30 core to set up a Centre for Sustainable Transport and Urban Planning (CSTUP) in the city.

The initiative, the first of its kind in south India, is aimed at giving a new dimension to city planning and public transportation.

Speaking to reporters after the inauguration of the 9th International Association for Public Transport (IAPT) Asia - Pacific Assembly in Bangalore on Tuesday, BMTC MD Upendra Tripathy said the Centre, to be established in association with the Indian Institute of Management""Bangalore (IIMB) or as an independent body, will act as an academic institute.

Knocking on the doors of the Centre for additional funds, BMTC also laid out plans to expand the facility to Chennai and Hyderabad in future.

BMTC also signed a charter for sustainable development in the transport sector with the IAPT. The charter is aimed at making public transportation available to all apart from adhering to the environment policies. The IAPT awards the charter only to member nations that are committed to this cause.

The IAPT is meeting in India for the second time while this three-day seminar has had participation from nine countries, including China, Taiwan, and Pakistan apart from various states of the country. Around 150 delegates will deliberate on the approaches and the methods to be adopted for development of public transport on a global scale.

IAPT General Secretary Hans Rat said a similar conference held in Andhra Pradesh in the past had been positive. "Our objective is to influence policy makers at every level. We are planning to propose a uniform tax regime for public transport countrywide,'' he added.

The Brussels-based IATP, with 3,100 members from 90 countries, is a network of transport professionals, government agencies, supplying industries, and academics to help exchange knowledge, and in the process address the issue of climate change.

Speaking on the occasion, deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha, Rahman Khan emphasised the need for planning in transportation as the urban population is expected to touch 54 per cent of the total population of the country by 2030.