19th Urban Mobility India Conference and 2nd National Urban Conclave in Bhubaneswar – Bhubaneswar wins 'Best Green Transport Initiative' city award

25 October 2026 · English Infrastructure & Energy

Topics: Polity, Economy & Urban Affairs · 25 October 2026 Current Affairs (UPSC / TNPSC / SSC / RRB)

News

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), through the Institute of Urban Transport (India) and with Odisha's support, held the 19th Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference & Exhibition in Bhubaneswar on 23–24 Oct 2026. Theme: 'Urban Accessibility and Liveability in Digital Age'. At the valedictory on 24 Oct, Union Minister Manohar Lal gave the awards: 'City with Best Green Transport Initiative' – Bhubaneswar (CRUT); 'Best Non-Motorised Transport System' – Chennai (Greater Chennai Corporation); 'Best Passenger Services (Metro)' – Chennai Metro Rail Ltd and NCRTC. Odisha also hosted the 2nd National Urban Conclave alongside it in Bhubaneswar.

Key facts

Background

• The National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP) 2006 – core idea: 'move people, not vehicles'; priority to public transport, walking–cycling facilities and integrated land-use–transport planning. The UMI conference is held annually in this spirit.
• Metro Rail Policy 2017 – new metro proposals must show socio-economic returns, PPP component, last-mile connectivity and Transit-Oriented Development (TOD); cities above 20 lakh population may plan a metro.
• PM-eBus Sewa (Aug 2023, MoHUA) – 10,000 e-buses on the Public–Private Partnership (PPP) model; Segment A – city bus services in 169 cities; Segment B – green mobility initiatives in 181 cities (bus priority, NCMC fare collection, charging). At UMI 2026 the Minister said 1,100 e-buses run in 28 cities.
• 25 June 2015 – the Smart Cities Mission, AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) and PMAY-Urban were launched on the same day. AMRUT's priority is water supply, then sewerage; storm-water drains, green spaces and non-motorised transport are also covered.

Tamil Nadu link: Chennai won two main awards at UMI 2026 – Greater Chennai Corporation (Best Non-Motorised Transport System – footpaths, cycling facilities) and Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (Best Passenger Services, jointly with NCRTC); the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) got a commendation for 'most viable financing'. Citing the 20-lakh population threshold of the Metro Rail Policy 2017, the Centre returned the Coimbatore and Madurai metro DPRs in Nov 2025.

Source: Orissa Diary, OmmCom News, 23–24 Oct 2026; UNI (Oct 2026); Embassy of India, Budapest advisory; Drishti IAS (PM-eBus Sewa); Swarajya (Nov 2025)

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