Latest news with #SatyaArikutharam
Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Karnataka cabinet approves revised cost of Rs 40,425 crore for Bengaluru Metro phase 2, seeks central nod
Karnataka's cabinet on Thursday approved the revised cost of Bengaluru Metro's phase 2 project, for which the central government had initially approved a budget of Rs 26,405 crore. However, the cost has increased by Rs 14,019 crore to Rs 40,425 crore. The state government attributes the cost escalation to increased land acquisition costs, which it says have jumped from 30 per cent to 100 per cent of the land's guidance value. Additionally, the cost of civil work has increased by Rs 4,408 crore. It also highlighted that the length of the metro line extending from 72.09 km to 75.06 km also contributed to cost escalation. As a result, to cover the net cost increase of Rs 14,019 crore, additional financial assistance of Rs 9,729 crore has been approved by the cabinet, which has also decided that the additional fund will be shared among the central and state governments and Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL). The cabinet has also decided to submit a proposal to the Centre for the revised project cost of Rs 40,425 crore. However, as per the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Centre, the state and BMRCL over the metro project, most of these cost escalations (eg, land acquisition, civil work, and scope change due to line extension) fall under 'other cost escalation', are to be entirely borne by the Karnataka government, and are not related to central statutory duties/levies or exchange rate variations. Bengaluru Metro's phase 2 project includes extensions of the purple line (Mysore Road to Kengeri and Baiyappanahalli to Whitefield) and green line (Nagasandra to Madavara and Yelachenahalli to Silk Institute), plus new yellow and pink lines. As of May, the green line has been extended to Madavara (3.14 km). It has been operational since November 2024. The yellow line (RV Road to Bommasandra, 18.82 km) is facing delays due to the unavailability of rolling stock, pushing the operations to June 2025. The pink line (Kalena Agrahara to Nagawara, 21.26 km) is delayed to December 2025 or early 2026 because of land acquisition and tunnelling issues. Phase 2A (KR Puram to Central Silk Board) and Phase 2B (KR Puram to Kempegowda International Airport), which are being undertaken at slow paces, are targeted for late 2026. Satya Arikutharam, an urban mobility expert, said BMRCL sought the state government's approval for this almost a year ago. 'The state government is likely to bear a major portion of the cost escalation, in accordance with the tripartite MoU. Given the scope change (double-decker structure), land acquisition cost escalation (state government responsibility), construction delays (difficult tunnelling conditions not foreseen), and delay in rolling stock procurement, the bulk of the cost escalation will become the state government responsibility,' he added.
Indian Express
21-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
‘Unethical and exploitative': Consumer watchdog seeks explanation from Uber on advance tipping feature
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) on Wednesday issued a notice to ride-hailing app Uber over its advance tipping feature, which prompts users to pay tips to drivers before booking rides, Union Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi announced on X. 'The practice of 'Advance Tip' is deeply concerning. Forcing or nudging users to pay a tip in advance, for faster service is unethical and exploitative. Such actions fall under unfair trade practices,' the minister wrote. 'Tip is given as a token of appreciation not as a matter of right, after the service. Taking cognisance of this, I had asked CCPA to look into it and today CCPA has issued a notice to @Uber in this regard, seeking explanation from the platform. Fairness, transparency and accountability must be upheld in all customer interactions.' Forward tipping, also referred to as pre-tipping or upfront tipping, is a feature in ride-hailing apps where passengers are prompted to add a tip for the driver at the time of booking a ride, before the trip is confirmed or completed. Unlike traditional tipping, which occurs after the service based on the quality of the experience, forward tipping is designed to incentivise drivers to accept a ride by offering an additional payment upfront. The action comes based on complaints addressed to the minister by multiple users. Many users flagged the way aggregators are seeking 'tips before trips', which goes unchallenged by transport departments across states. Satya Arikutharam, an urban mobility expert, told 'The consumer is held to ransom and very often is forced to tip just to get a ride. Drivers are also now becoming unprofessional due to this practice and are accepting only trips that offer them tips.' Namma Yatri, the Bengaluru-based auto-hailing app launched in November 2022, was among the first to introduce advance tipping in India's ride-hailing ecosystem. The platform, which operates on a zero-commission model where drivers keep 100 per cent of their base fares, implemented tipping as an additional feature on its app. By late 2023, Rapido had also incorporated tipping into its service. Meanwhile, Uber introduced advance tipping only last month, being the last among the ride-hailing firms to adopt this feature. However, the app introduced post-service tipping globally back in 2017. According to an industry source, offering drivers tips upfront has become an industry norm with different names. 'Some platforms that did not pay 5 per cent GST claimed that they have a SaaS (software as a service) model and got drivers to earn more through tips. To avoid an unfair advantage, all players moved to this model eventually,' the source said. Sanath Prasad is a senior sub-editor and reporter with the Bengaluru bureau of Indian Express. He covers education, transport, infrastructure and trends and issues integral to Bengaluru. He holds more than two years of reporting experience in Karnataka. His major works include the impact of Hijab ban on Muslim girls in Karnataka, tracing the lives of the victims of Kerala cannibalism, exploring the trends in dairy market of Karnataka in the aftermath of Amul-Nandini controversy, and Karnataka State Elections among others. If he is not writing, he keeps himself engaged with badminton, swimming, and loves exploring. ... Read More
Indian Express
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Greater Bengaluru Authority takes over as BMLTA's role in urban mobility diminishes, experts warn of consequences
With Karnataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot giving assent to the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill (GBGB) 2024, the IT capital is set to usher in the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), which has sweeping powers to streamline governance in the urban region. However, urban mobility experts and civic groups have pointed out that the transformation comes at the cost of diluting the powers of an autonomous body such as the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA) that oversees planning and coordinating transport in the Bengaluru Metropolitan Area. More than two years have passed since BMLTA was notified, yet the Act remains on paper, with no rules being framed or no members being formally appointed. The Greater Bengaluru Governance Act (GBGA) positions the GBA as the apex body for urban governance, with binding authority over agencies like the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), and other urban development agencies previously coordinated by the BMLTA. Satya Arikutharam, urban mobility expert, said, 'The GBGA dilutes the core functions of BMLTA and makes it an ineffective institute even before its establishment. The city will miss the rigorous and independent review specified under Section 19 of BMLTA before approval for major urban transport projects.' GBGA explicitly transfers several BMLTA provisions to the GBA. Under its planning functions, the GBA is designated as the 'Planning Authority' for the Greater Bengaluru area under the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1961. This includes approving layouts and ensuring compliance with the master plan, roles that previously intersected with the BMLTA's efforts to align land use with transport planning. The GBA's oversight of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Planning Committee (BMPC), chaired by the Chief Minister, further consolidates its planning authority, potentially marginalising the BMLTA's input in metropolitan transport strategies. The GBA, chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, is tasked with overseeing up to seven municipal corporations carved out of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Its functions span administrative control, urban planning, coordination of public authorities, and execution of major infrastructure projects, including mobility plans. Major infrastructure projects, including vehicular tunnels proposed under the Brand Bengaluru initiative, upcoming Metro networks, and other urban infrastructure plans, require approval from BMLTA as specified under Section 19 of the Act. Under Section 19, the Act ensures that the authority will have the power to approve all major urban transport projects proposed from the perspective of consistency with the Comprehensive Mobility Plan and in a time-bound manner. It further states that no authority, agency, or department under the state government shall initiate any public, private, or public-private partnership project concerning urban mobility without obtaining prior approval of the authority. BBMP, in its government order in September 2024, acknowledges the approval of BMLTA for an underground vehicular tunnel connecting Hebbal and Silk Board and other proposed elevated corridors. Experts point out that with the establishment of a 'centralised' authority like GBA, it assumes significant responsibilities previously held by the BMLTA, such as formulating mobility plans and coordinating agencies like BMTC, BMRCL, Urban Development department and other agencies. No clear sequence of process on land use: Experts Arikutharam said that as per GBGA coordination between BMRCL and BMTC, the preparation of Mobility Plan, and formulation of major infrastructure projects – all core BMLTA functions – will now be undertaken by Greater Bengaluru Authority. 'This has serious negative consequences for sustainable urban mobility as GBA is designed for unfettered real estate development,' he pointed out. Further, GBA integrates and supervises public authorities such as BMTC, BMRCL, and Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), issuing binding directions to streamline municipal and transport activities, and provisions that BMLTA was also entrusted with. GBA also formulates and executes major infrastructural projects, including mobility-related plans (e.g., roads, tunnels), directly or through Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs), coming close on the heels of the functions of an autonomous BMLTA. BMLTA also has the power to issue directives to transport agencies to align operations with the CMP goals and sustainable mobility objectives. The GBA's ability to establish Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) also overlaps with the BMLTA's initiatives for technology-driven mobility solutions. A Krishna Prashanth, member at CIVIC Bangalore, said, 'From a constitutional and legal standpoint BMLTA is essentially a planning body that helps build a transit-oriented development plan coupled with land use plan. When GBA assumes this role, the transport plan will not hold any value. The Greater Bengaluru Governance Act is unclear on the process of implementing transport and mobility projects. There is no clear sequence of process as to who will assess the land use, waste management, and other aspects.' Secondly, he said, the previous Finance Commission mandated that BMLTA works in line with the Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC), which is democratic and consultative. 'However, GBA neither allies with this nor any urban transport policy envisioned by the central government. Moreover, it is not clear where BMLTA sits in the large scheme of things under GBA,' he said. However, an officer in the state government, on condition of anonymity, told The Indian Express that, 'BMLTA is not dropped, it will be formally constituted in the coming days. However, with GBA, a lot of the latter's functions align with those of BMLTA. Hence, there is a conflict of interest.' According to Sandeep Anirudhan, convenor of Citizens' Agenda for Bengaluru, the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill is poorly drafted and undermines critical planning institutions. 'The constitutionally mandated Metropolitan Planning Committee remains defunct after 33 years, and now its role is usurped by the new Greater Bengaluru Authority. Similarly, the BMLTA, meant to unify transport planning, is sidelined—its executive head is merely an invitee without voting rights. This pattern of creating and then undermining institutions spells disaster, as vested interests exploit the city, pushing Bengaluru into unplanned, unsustainable collapse,' Anirudhan remarked.
