Bengaluru: In a bid to ensure that Bengaluru did not become another `gas chamber' like Delhi, the Forest, Environment and Ecology Department has decided to issue notices to GBA and the respective Corporations, wherever the AQI crosses 100 mark.
A decision was taken by Minister Eshwar Khandre during a meeting with the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board officials and the BJP MLA Suresh Kumar.
During the previous Legislature Session, Suresh Kumar had raised a question pertaining to various pollution levels in Bengaluru city. During his reply, Eshwar Khandre had said that the Air Quality in Bengaluru was by and large good with AQI parameters being within 50-100 in most parts of the city and satisfactory parameters of 100-200 in the areas of high construction activities and vehicular densities. After that, it was agreed that a separate meeting with the Pollution Control Board would be held after the session.
During the meeting, the officials admitted that the Air, water and sound pollution was steadily increasing. They reasoned out the causes for increasing pollution in the city and also admitted that children in higher Air pollution areas were suffering with breathing problems and the doctors were advising the parents to settle in the city outskirts.
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Reacting to the problem, Eshwar Khandre asked the officials to increase the mobile Air Quality checking units and issue notice to GBA and the respective City Corporations, wherever the AQI exceeds 100 mark. The GBA and respective City Corporations would be asked to come out with a time bound plan to reduce the air pollution. Cases would be registered against the respective regional in-charges, he said.
Stating that the cooperation of elected representatives, cutting across the party lines was needed in the fight against pollution, Eshwar Khandre said that he would soon convene a meeting of all the 28 MLAs from Bengaluru to discuss the issue. Besides, he would meet Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who is in-charge of Bengaluru Development to discuss strategy to reduce pollution in the city, Khandre added.
