Bhubaneswar: Top IPS officer Arun Bothra is among the two Indians, who have been enlisted in 21Heroes2021 by Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI) honouring them for ensuring swift transportation to the public during COVID-19 pandemic.
Arun Bothra is currently the CMD of Odisha State Road Transport Undertaking (OSRTC) and MD of Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT).
“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,” stated TUMI in its publication released yesterday.
Giving a brief profile of Bothra, TUMI stated, “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.”
“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,” read the publication.
