To be a successful Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA), the BMLTA should be an overarching umbrella body that has three main statutory functions:
Plan - BMLTA should be the nodal agency for creating the city’s transport and mobility plans and envisioning the city’s growth corridors and their impact on commute patterns. Mobility plans cannot be created in isolation but as part of the city master plan.
Convene - BMLTA should convene and sign off on projects of all agencies in the Bangalore Metropolitan Mobility Area (BMMA) such as the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), Bruhath Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), Traffic Police, suburban rail and Transport Department. The agency should also be a platform for the people of Bengaluru to provide input on the city’s mobility needs.
Coordinate – BMLTA should serve as a coordinator between line agencies to ensure all their projects fit its vision of the city’s transport requirements.
BMLTA and CMP
Citizen activists have contended that the BMLTA should be empowered to review existing policies and decisions. As Dattatraya T Devare of the Bangalore Enviroment Trust points out, Section 21 in the draft legislation removes the Authority’s power to review the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP). Controversial projects such as the elevated corridor are part of the CMP, a factor that he argues is against the spirit of the BMLTA. This, he feels, needs a thorough review.
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