Bhubaneswar: The 19th Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference and Exhibition 2026 concluded in Bhubaneswar today, with Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs and Power Manohar Lal addressing the valedictory session and presenting awards for excellence and best practices in urban transport.
The two-day conference, held on October 23-24, was organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs through the Institute of Urban Transport (India) with support from the Government of Odisha.
The valedictory session was attended by Odisha Housing & Urban Development Minister Dr Krushna Chandra Mahapatra, Additional Chief Secretary, H&UD Department, Usha Padhee and senior officials, policymakers and experts from India and abroad.
Addressing the session, Manohar Lal said urban mobility must be integrated with urban planning from the very beginning. Better transport infrastructure is no longer merely an outcome of development but has become a foundation for economic growth, he said.
He said India’s future urban mobility systems must be guided by three principles of Integration, Inclusiveness and Intelligence (3-I). Integration means seamless connectivity between metro, bus, rail and other services with strong first and last-mile connectivity. Inclusiveness calls for safe, accessible transport for women, senior citizens and persons with disabilities. Intelligence involves use of Artificial Intelligence and real-time data to improve traffic management and passenger safety.
Highlighting progress, the Minister said since December 2025, the Centre has approved nine Metro projects covering about 174 km at a cost of over Rs 59,000 crore, while an additional 102 km has become operational. India’s operational Metro network has expanded to 1,185 km across 26 cities.
Under PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme, 1,100 electric buses have commenced operations in 28 cities carrying around 2.5 lakh passengers daily. He also referred to the Transit-Oriented Development Policy 2026 approved for Delhi in April 2026 to promote planned development and affordable housing across 207 sq km along Metro, RRTS and railway corridors.
Dr Mahapatra said the true success of a conference lies not in ideas discussed but in translating them into meaningful action. The learnings must be converted into practical solutions to make urban spaces safer, more accessible, inclusive and liveable.
Usha Padhee said, “Odisha is proud to have hosted the 19th UMI Conference & Exhibition and the National Urban Conclave 2026. The discussions have been truly enriching, bringing together valuable ideas on sustainable urban development and people-centric mobility. As hosts, we endeavoured to uphold Atithi Devo Bhava.
“Awards: City with Best Green Transport Initiative: Bhubaneswar – CRUT
City with Best Non-Motorized Transport System: Chennai – Greater Chennai Corporation
Excellence in Innovation & Smart Mobility: Delhi – DTC and DMRC
City with Best Public Transport System: Delhi – DTC
Metro Station with Best Multi-modal Integration: Kochi – Kochi Metro Rail Ltd
Metro Rail with Best Passenger Services: Chennai Metro Rail Ltd and NCRTC
Best Use of Big Data Analytics: Delhi – DTC
Special Award for Optimizing Civil Structural Design: Noida Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.
Commendation awards were given to Bhavnagar, Warangal, Kochi, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Odisha’s CRUT.
Held under the theme ‘Urban Accessibility and Liveability in Digital Age’, the conference saw 14 sessions, around 1,500 delegates, 28 exhibitors and a Research Symposium with 46 research papers. Technical sessions focused on land use and transport beyond city limits, people-centric streets, behaviour change for modal shift, intelligence-driven safe mobility and rail-led integrated urban development.
