New Delhi, Oct 24 (IANS) Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs and Power Manohar Lal on Saturday said urban mobility must be integrated with city planning from the outset, asserting that transport infrastructure has become a key driver of economic growth and urban development rather than merely an outcome of it.
Addressing the valedictory session of the 19th Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference and Exhibition in Bhubaneswar, the minister said India’s future mobility systems should be guided by the principles of Integration, Inclusiveness and Intelligence, or the 3-I framework.
Under the integration pillar, he stressed seamless connectivity among metro, bus, rail and other transport modes along with strong first- and last-mile links.
The minister further noted that inclusiveness requires safe and accessible public transport for women, senior citizens and persons with disabilities, while intelligence involves leveraging artificial intelligence and real-time data to improve traffic management, passenger safety and operational efficiency.
Highlighting developments in the sector, the minister said the Centre has approved nine metro rail projects covering about 174 km at a cost of more than Rs 59,000 crore since December 2025.
During the same period, an additional 102 km of metro network became operational, taking India’s total operational metro network to 1,185 km across 26 cities.
The minister also reviewed progress under the PM e-Bus Sewa scheme, stating that 1,100 electric buses are now operating in 28 cities, carrying around 2.5 lakh passengers daily.
Referring to the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Policy approved for Delhi in April 2026, he said the initiative would support planned urban development and affordable housing across nearly 207 sq km along metro, RRTS and railway corridors.
The two-day conference that was organised by the ministry through the Institute of Urban Transport (India) with support from the Odisha government, drew around 1,500 delegates from India and abroad.
–IANS
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