Bhubaneswar: Three independent directors were appointed for the Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT), the special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the development of public transport in and around Bhubaneswar Thursday.
HM Shivanand Swamy, Amit Bhatt and B Venu Gopala Reddy have been appointed as directors for a term of three years.
Swamy, who is currently the Executive Director of the Centre of Excellence in Urban Transport at the CEPT University in Ahmadabad, is an economist and urban and regional planner and has been an educator, researcher, policy advisor and consultant in urban transport planning and management.
He is currently leading a “Leaders Programme in Urban Transport Planning and Management” aimed at building leadership in urban transport development in India. Swamy has also been instrumental in upgrading CEPT from an autonomous institute to that of a university.
Bhatt is a director at the WRI India’s Delhi office and has been in leadership role in the sector for last 18 years. A member of the Institute of Urban Transport, he has expertise in public transport planning, urban transport, non-motorised transport (NMT), capacity building, road safety and urban development.
His major project “Raahgiri Day”, which started in 2013 in the cities of North India, was a major success for engaging communities to bring about changes for popularising NMT.’
Reddy was the Chief General Manager (CGM) and Head of Operations, SBI, Bhubaneswar, from 2015 to 2018. He has 36 years of experience in banking operations in key positions, delivering record breaking performances through team work and building relationships.
CRUT, formerly known as Bhubaneswar Puri Transport Services, with 16 directors on its Board, aims to provide reliable, safe, accessible, user-friendly public transport and to set up a mechanism to deliver public transport services.