DULT, TERI Ink MoU to Jointly Develop Low-Carbon Urban Freight in Karnataka

With an aim to jointly develop a low-carbon strategy for the state’s urban freight sector, energy and policy think-tank The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT), Government of Karnataka.

DULT was set up in 2007 by Karnataka Government under the Urban Development Department (UDD) with the objective to coordinate planning and implementation of Urban Transport projects and programs.

Under the MoU, the two organizations would jointly identify simple, implementable solutions to reduce emissions and costs in the urban freight sector.

DULT is in general responsible for overseeing all the urban land transport initiatives in Urban/ Local Planning Areas of Karnataka and administers the State Urban Transport Fund (SUTF).

Commenting on the partnership, V Manjula, IAS, Commissioner, DULT, & E/o Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka, said, “cities are built around commerce and hence urban freight is an important component of cities’ mobility network.”

V Manjula added, “it is important to gather insights on the evolution of urban freight, understand its structure and impacts on twin issues of congestion and pollution, to develop appropriate policy framework. Through this collaboration, we intend to benefit from TERI’s expertise in Urban Freight and energy sectors to make Karnataka a frontrunner in promoting innovative solutions in Urban Freight.”

“In the current scenario, there is a lot of potential in the urban freight sector to start sustainable change. The Karnataka government has been actively working in the low and zero-emission transport sector and this MoU will further the effort in the urban logistics and freight sector. Government support and public awareness is critical, along with technological advancements for the sector that will accelerate and bring about positive change,” said Sanjay Seth, Senior Director, Sustainable Habitat, TERI.

Meanwhile, the MoU, which was signed virtually, comes close on the heels of the launch of the Sustainable Urban Freight Coalition (SUFC) of which DULT is also a member.

TERI and Environment Defense Fund (EDF) led initiative, SUFC, is a consortium of public and private stakeholders of urban freight in India to promote and achieve sustainability in the sector and move towards achieving the vision of decarbonization of the country’s transport sector by 2030.