INTRODUCTION

Dear Citizens, 

The BMLTA Act passed by the Karnataka Govt has a few clauses that compromise the very purpose of the legislation.  One of the most damaging ones is that the BMLTA would have to adopt the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) for Bengaluru, prepared by the BMRCL, the metro service provider for Bengaluru, as the de-facto CMP for the city.  This has come as a shock to all citizens, for the following reasons:

• The CMP is a subset of the CDP, and cannot be undertaken as an individual exercise!
• BMRCL is not an authority by law to undertake this exercise.  It is purely a service provider that is mandated to establish and run the Metro service for Bengaluru.  
• The BMLTA is the regulator of transport in the city.  How could it adopt a plan prepared by a service provider that it itself has to regulate? This is clear conflict of interest.
• The Metropolitan Planning Committee (mandated by the Nagarpalika Act 1990, 74th amendment to the constitution), is the body that has the authority to create a Transport Plan or CMP as part of the Comprehensive Development Plan (Masterplan - CDP/RMP) for the city.
• The National Urban Transport Policy 2014 (NUTP) defines a United Metropolitan Transport Authority, under the elected city administration to support the Planning Authority in preparing a Transport Plan / Comprehensive Mobility Plan, and oversee the transport and mobility regulation of the city.

The creation of the CMP by BMRCL was done to fool the funders of the Metro Project, ie., it was a precondition for funding requirements for which they approached the Central Govt.  And this by intent was purely a paper exercise and devious one at that.  Since it did not follow the due process laid out under the constitution, it is a manipulation, and therefore is illegitimate.

For the Govt to attempt give it any legitimacy and to use it to govern our city, is a travesty of governance, is a contempt of the Constitution, contempt of citizens, and violation of all laws!  What’s more, we are fairly convinced that this move by the Govt is to support the vested ‘broker-consultant-contractor’ nexus, to bring back unpopular and destructive projects like the Elevated Corridors, which have been rejected by citizens, time and time again! It has come to light that due to the influence of certain individuals, the Elevated Corridors project is getting included in both the CMP and the RMP 2031, on the sly!

This has to be called out, and be stopped.  The proper legal process has to be followed.  Corruption must be uprooted!

The planning authority, the MPC, whose mandate it is to masterplan for the city has to be empowered.  The CM has to be removed from the MPC, and the MPC should be made independent and devolved of the state Govt.  

The Master-planning exercise has to be undertaken by the MPC, and the CMP or the transport plan as a subset of the CDP(RMP), should be taken up in consultation with all stakeholders.  Only then will the CMP and the CDP(RMP) have any legitimacy, or else it will be brought down with a single PIL filed by any concerned citizen. 

The govt by its irresponsibility and carelessness, is causing criminal wastage of our resources by indulging in such illegal exercises! 

Main Issues:

1. DUE PROCESS AS LAID OUT IN THE CONSTITUTION VIOLATED
2. THE COMPREHENSIVE MOBILITY PLAN IS ILLEGAL!
3. THE COMPREHENSIVE MOBILITY PLAN IS TECHNICALLY UNSOUND!
4. THE COMPREHENSIVE MOBILITY PLAN IS AGAINST CITIZENS’ DEMANDS!
5. THE CMP IS A POLICY DOC, NOT A PLAN DOC.

Genesis of this SCAM:

When the BMRCL approached the Central Govt for funding, they were given a pre-condition that the city has to have an Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (as per National Urban Transport Policy) and a Comprehensive Mobility Plan for the city, for the funding to be approved.   This, the Central Govt did with the intent of nudging the city towards good governance, and a planned development approach.  However, what the Karnataka Govt did in response was to cheat it. 

The Govt did not first work on the primary requirement, ie., setting up the UMTA.  Instead it went about creating a CMP.   Even in this, it did something unimaginable.  There already existed a CMP (Transport Plan) as part of the Draft RMP 2031.  However, instead of using that, it instead approached IDECK to put together a CMP, purely as a paper exercise.  This was not meant to have any real impact on the ground, it depends on outdated data, and is not validated by any kind of simulation.   

BMRCL then using the DULT name, modified this, bringing in vested interests such as the Elevated Corridor project, which will destroy the city.  The same corruption, it is reported is taking place with RMP 2031 Draft, that the Elevated Corridors has been included there as well.  The Mafia behind the Elevated Corridors project is unrelenting and active! The conspiracy behind this needs to be unravelled : Advisors to the Govt are essentially brokers for contractors.

Will we have an RMP and a CMP that is citizen driven, and has the approval of citizens?  Only if You and I act! So, please act now! Join the campaign for these demands!  

The Govt took public comments till the 20th of January 2020.  But even that is a sham, as the scope of the consultation is only the drafted CMP.  That is not enough for us!  

We need a total revamp of the planning and governance of Bengaluru in line with the constitutional framework, and we need this recklessness to stop.  

Kind regards,

Citizens of Bengaluru

Please download the CMP draft by BMRCL here:  http://urbantransport.kar.gov.in/CMP%20Report%2005%2012%202019.pdf