Tokhan Sahu

India’s urban transport planners are discussing how to make everyday journeys safer, easier and more accessible at the 19th Urban Mobility India conference in Bhubaneswar. The two-day event opened on October 23 and continues on October 24, bringing together government officials, transport operators, researchers and industry representatives, according to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The immediate focus is broader than adding infrastructure: discussions cover connections between transport modes, access to stations and stops, digital systems and the needs of people who find existing services difficult to use. The ministry’s October 23 account describes conference discussions and scheduled sessions; it does not announce a nationwide change in fares or passenger entitlements. Under the theme of urban accessibility and liveability in the digital age, the conference is examining first- and last-mile connectivity, integrated transport and lower-emission public transport. Those themes put the journey to and from a bus stop or railway station alongside the main ride, rather than treating each mode in isolation. Minister of State Tokhan Sahu said urban progress should be…