Funds required for road safety programmes

He was speaking at the first sustainable transportation conference at Centre for Infrastructure, Sustainable Transport and Urban Plan (CISTUP), IISc, organised by MobiliCity. “We have asked the govt for funds, we are yet to receive it,” he said.
Explaining the Transport Department’s various initiatives, he said, two-stroke autorickshaws have been banned in the State to check air and noise pollution. Besides, the State is also in the leading position in issuing RTO smart card with 3.5 lakh cards already having been distributed at 50 locations in Karnataka. The department has also opened a mechanised vehicle testing centre at Nelamangala for the bus drivers.

Participating in the debate on the role of public representative in improving the public transport system, Byatarayanapura MLA Krishna Byregowda said, the notion of public representative has changed now from what has been envisaged by the Constitution.
“The public representatives have to take care of street lights, BPL cards, roads, parks and many more. Where is the time left for the leaders to think of transport system? The problem is not merely in Bangalore where there is no elected body. The MLAs have to work day in and out attending to people’s grievances even in places where there is an elected body,” he said.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Praveen Sood said, it is also necessary to discuss people’s participation, parking facilities, provision for pedestrians and land use policy.
Ashwin Mahesh, a participant, pointed out that the Government has no policy to pay incentives to attract skilled people in the department.