BENGALURU: Jolted by Delhi’s worryingly poor Air Quality Index (AQI), and not wanting Bengaluru to follow in the footsteps of the national capital, the state government has woken up to the unutilized Rs 500 crore in its kitty to improve the city’s air quality. Plans are now afoot to make it mandatory for all state and central government officials posted in Bengaluru to use electric vehicles as part of a slew of measures aimed at significantly cutting air pollution in Bengaluru on a war footing.
To firm up the plans, a series of meetings are being held under the chairmanship of Urban Development Department (UDD) additional chief secretary Rakesh Singh on the directions of Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru district in-charge Minister DK Shivakumar. The matter has been discussed with central government officials, and all required support has been promised. The Centre has also agreed to help financially, said Singh.
The first step taken to cut air pollution is to address vehicular and dust pollution in the ambient air. “At a meeting, it was decided that henceforth all government officials will use only electric vehicles, and not petrol or diesel vehicles. An order will also be issued that all officials coming to office must come only in EVs,” a source privy to the meetings said.
It has also been decided to phase out all diesel and CNG buses and shift to EV buses. Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has also been directed to continuously monitor vehicular pollution, especially particulate matter (PM) 2.5, and reduce dust pollution in Bengaluru. Pourakarmikas will also be given EV sweeping machines. “Delhi’s air pollution made us realize we had Rs 500 crore in our kitty dedicated to addressing Bengaluru’s air pollution, but nothing was done about it. Now to ensure Bengaluru does not go the Delhi way, and to control air pollution levels here, we are thinking of fully utilising this money on various works,” an official said.
“Although directions for management of construction and debris (C&D) waste have been issued, they are not followed. Directions to address air pollution during civil works and building construction are also not followed,” another source said. “It has been decided that punitive action will be taken against violators. Utilization of generators will be banned and solar power generation will be made mandatory. It has also been decided to take up aggressive afforestation activities and footpath improvement works in the city to encourage pedestrians to walk,” the official who attended the meetings said.