Odisha IPS Officer Arun Bothra Makes It To TUMI’s 21Heroes2021 For Transforming Urban Mobility

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Bhubaneswar: It is a matter of pride for the people of the entire State that the Odisha State Road Transport Undertaking (OSRTC) CMD and Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) MD IPS officer Arun Bothra has made it to the list of 21Heroes2021 of Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI).

Bothra is among the two Indians, who have found a place in the list for ensuring swift transportation to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Former Mayor of Cochin Corporation in Kochi, Soumini Jain is the other Indian who has been placed in 18th place of the 21Heroes2021.

According to TUMI, 2020 was a challenging year in many ways. The novel coronavirus swept across the world, completely upending every aspect of daily life as the global population feared for its health and safety. With many people working hard to address healthcare and economic concerns, the core task of the transport community was to keep transport systems running.

“In almost every city, transportation came to a halt with lockdowns. But people still needed to get outside, to move around, to go to work. Faced with a daunting new reality, members of the international transport community stepped up with key solutions to keep everyday life going. TUMI is therefore proud to shine a light on these success stories. The 21Heroes2021 saw through the despair and used this crisis as a way to not only keep people safe while moving through their cities, but also to invest time and resources into transforming urban mobility and combating climate change,” TUMI said in its publication.

“21Heroes2021 honors those who, despite historic challenges, achieved transport success in 2020 and laid the groundwork for even more successful and sustainable mobility initiatives in 2021. The individuals highlighted in this publication are a small, yet powerful, selection of many who are actively contributing to make mobility future-oriented, safe, inclusive and sustainable. So please, join us in celebrating our transport heroes, the people who are committed to transforming mobility to improve life for all!,” it added.

While writing about the IPS officer who is the Chairman and Managing Director of Odisha State Road Transport Undertaking (OSRTC) and Managing Director of Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT), the TUMI said that under Arun’s leadership, the public transport sector in Odisha has seen bold changes through the fulfillment of commuter-friendly measures like digital transactions, limitations within buses to sitting-only passengers and the enforcement of a stringent Covid-19 prevention strategy.

Odisha IPS Officer Arun Bothra Makes It To TUMI’s 21Heroes2021 For Transforming Urban Mobility

On buses, Arun enforced mask wearing, regularly disinfection and social distancing, thus easing the population’s fears of riding public transport again.

Remaining grounded during the pandemic, Arun brought together over 1200 bus drivers and conductors across Odisha state for a virtual training program that lasted a fortnight, using this terrible pause to impart knowledge and skills on topics like safe and fuel-efficient driving practices, customer care, gender sensitivity and good bus maintenance practices.

A senior and revered officer of the Indian Police Services, Arun began his first public transport assignment in June 2019 as Managing Director of CRUT. Previously, he worked as the CEO of Odisha’s central electricity supply utility and at the Central Bureau of Investigation in New Delhi.

(Source: transformative-mobility.org)

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