BENGALURU
Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner Maheshwar Rao assured that concrete measures will be taken to enhance pedestrian and cycling infrastructure across the city’s limits.
Rao made the announcement after launching the innovative GALA initiative, led by WRI India, Vakalur, and Urban Morph. The project aims to promote sustainable mobility and encourage walking and cycling in major employment hubs within the five municipal corporations of the Greater Bengaluru Authority.
“Improving footpaths across the city is a top priority for GBA. Through GALA, a positive and healthy competition will be created among the five corporations. Several corporate bodies, including ORRCA, ELCIA, and WEPPIA, have actively joined this initiative, which is a matter of great satisfaction,” Rao said.
The GALA initiative will run for three months, and insights gathered during this period will be used to prioritize improvements in pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.
BDA Commissioner Manivannan highlighted ongoing efforts by NGOs to increase footpath use and assured full cooperation from the BDA to strengthen these initiatives. North City Corporation Commissioner Pommala Sunil Kumar said that 34 km of footpaths have already been paved in Uttara Nagar Corporation, with inspections and problem resolution ongoing. The goal is to cover 100 km of footpaths soon.
The event saw participation from representatives of leading organizations including Abhitech Engineers, Amazon Web Services, Bangalore Cyclists Club, Biocon, CGI, Dell Technologies, ELCIA, Embassy, Ericsson, GE Healthcare, Greenpeace, Intel, KPMG, L&T Technology Services, Move Insync, Novo Nordisk, ORRCA, Qualcomm, Satish & Company, Siemens, Ugly Indians, Vtiger, Veppia, and others.
WRI India’s Executive Programme Director Pawan Mulukutla, Urban Morph Founder Satya Shankar, and Vakalur Founder Arun Pai were also present at the launch.
The initiative underlines GBA’s commitment to creating safe, accessible, and sustainable urban mobility options, ensuring that walking and cycling become viable, attractive modes of transport across Bengaluru.