
BENGALURU: Two years after the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA) Act 2023 was notified, the rules are yet to be framed and committee members have not been appointed.
Experts and urban planners pointed out that the government does not seem to be keen on implementing it. “This is the reason why Bengaluru is in a mess. There is no coordination among agencies, there is no planning or vision for Bengaluru’s growth,” said an urban planner working with the government.
“Section 4 of the BMLTA Act requires the government to set up the BMLTA within six months of the law being notified. The law was notified in January 2023 and there’s still no BMLTA set up. A gazette notification was required to be issued within six months of the law being passed, but this has not been done. This is in complete derogation of the provisions of the BMLTA Act,” said Alok Prasanna Kumar, co-founder Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.
The Bill 29/2022 was passed when BJP’s Basavaraj Bommai was the chief minister. The Act was first published in the Karnataka Gazette Extra-ordinary on January 12, 2023. The Act received the Governor’s assent on January 11, 2023.
Urban mobility expert from IISc Prof Ashish Verma said there is no clear transparent structure. The BMLTA is passed for having a holistic structure for the management of Bengaluru, but the government does not seem interested in implementing it. The Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) Commissioner is the BMLTA secretary, but nothing has been cleared so far, he said.
Experts also pointed out that the government has not appointed the committee members for the BMLTA’s functioning. Urban affairs expert Srinivas Alavilli said the BMLTA should measure data, see how and what policies need to be made, oversee planning and ensure coordination. The Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority is an example which is doing well.
However, officials do not see any requirement for it. Urban Development Department official said, “So far things have worked without BMLTA, it can continue further too. The moment the law is passed, it should come into effect. But in this case, no time line was fixed for its formation.”