Priyank Kharge, Karnataka’s Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, IT and BT
| Photo Credit:
ARUN KULKARNI
Amid the Karnataka government’s clampdown on bike taxis, enforced from June 16, the State may be signalling a flexible stance.
Speaking at an event in Bengaluru, Priyank Kharge, Karnataka’s Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, IT and BT, said, “Just because we don’t have a policy, we can’t stifle innovation.”
The ban, which followed the Karnataka High Court’s refusal to stay the State’s directive, will remain until a regulatory framework is established. He added, “If we don’t have a policy for such innovations, we put them in a regulatory sandbox. We allow them to operate, provided they’re not violating any laws or the Constitution. They run their business, earn profits, and people benefit and at the same time, innovation is not threatened,” he said.
Kharge also announced that the government is in the process of establishing the Karnataka Innovation Authority, aimed at supporting emerging business models and enabling policy experimentation. He emphasised the need for governance to keep pace with start-ups, stating, “The government has to be as agile as the start-ups themselves.”
Push for mobility modernisation
The minister’s remarks came amid broader efforts to upgrade Bengaluru’s mobility infrastructure. At the same event, BMTC Managing Director Ramachandran R revealed that the city will relaunch the Bus Priority Lane (BPL) between KR Puram and Silk Board Junction. The BPL project, first introduced to decongest key stretches, was suspended in 2022 due to Metro construction.
Meanwhile, the State is making strides toward integrated public transport. Bengaluru commuters will soon be able to purchase Metro and BMTC bus tickets via mobility apps like Namma Yatri and Tummoc. These features — developed using open transit data from BMTC and BMRCL – are set to launch this week under the Enroute: Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) Challenge, a State initiative to promote tech-enabled mobility solutions.
(Report filed by bl intern Nethra Sailesh)
Published on July 10, 2025