
BENGALURU: As vehicle emissions have a direct impact on the health of the people, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has written to Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy to take measures to permit only electric public vehicles to operate in Bengaluru in the future and also that all buses procured for public transport by the government should be e-vehicles only.
He specified that autorickshaws, cabs, taxis, goods autos and solid waste collection vehicles should be electric.
In the letter dated February 3, Rao said, “Air pollution due to the use of vehicles running on conventional fuels is common and it is well-established that it has a direct adverse effect on public health. Due to high number of vehicles in Bengaluru, the pollution is high and due to the high population of the city, the pollution affects more people.”
The health minister went on to explain that Bengaluru’s geography and weather conditions compound air pollution and stressed that everyone should wake up before Bengaluru becomes infamous for air pollution like Delhi.
“Our generation must take action to control air pollution to limit far-reaching negative effects on the environment. The government too is accountable for this,” he said.
All public buses should be EV only: Gundu Rao
“It is against this background that increasing the use of public transport is essential. However, along with this, there is a need to increase the number of electric-powered vehicles in the city,” Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said.
Rao said that moving away from conventional fuels while building transport infrastructure is not only an ‘option’ but an ‘urgent’ need and advised his cabinet colleague Ramalinga Reddy to permit only electric autos, cabs, taxis, goods autos and solid waste collection vehicles to operate in the city.
All buses procured for public transport by the government should be electric vehicles only, Rao said and ended the letter requesting the transport minister to take suitable action.
When TNIE contacted Reddy, he said, “I received the letter. While for some measures we need approval from the union government, some can be taken up by obtaining permission from the state government. We will take measures to cut down vehicular emissions.”