CM Siddaramaiah to head BMLTA as Karnataka government appoints members to transport authority

Authority to bring elected leaders, officials and urban experts under one transport framework

The Karnataka government has appointed members to the newly constituted Bangalore Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA), marking a key step in operationalising the city’s new unified transport planning body.

The appointments come just days after the government notified the rules required to make the authority functional. The BMLTA is designed to coordinate land transport planning and policy for the Bengaluru metropolitan region by bringing multiple stakeholders under one umbrella.

As per the government order, the Chief Minister will serve as the Chairperson of the BMLTA. The Bengaluru Development Minister and the Transport Minister have been named Vice-Chairpersons, reflecting the authority’s focus on urban growth and mobility. The Energy Minister has also been included as a member of the body.

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The authority will include senior bureaucratic representation, with IAS officers from key departments forming part of the panel. In addition, two retired IAS officers, ISN Prasad and Uma Shankar, have been appointed as members, bringing administrative experience to the authority’s functioning.

Alongside government representatives, the BMLTA will also include private individuals with expertise in urban planning, infrastructure, transport and mobility. Eight such members have been inducted into the authority.

They are Prof Abdul R Pinjari from the Indian Institute of Science; Irfan Razack, Chairman and Managing Director of Prestige Group; Pawan Mulukutla from WRI India; and Manas Das, representing the Outer Ring Road Companies Association. The list also includes Jagadish Chandra Sharma of Indian Urban Pvt Ltd, architect Abhay Zachariah, road safety and transport expert Dr Jaya R Shinganmakki, and Dr V Anjaneyappa, an associate professor at a private engineering college.