You may not be able to buy a new motor vehicle of any type till air and noise pollution levels in the city are brought within the prescribed limit. Also, commuters may gradually not find autorickshaws in the Central Business district (CBD).
The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has directed the State Transport Department to “restrict registration of new vehicles in Bangalore City till the noise levels and air quality standards are met” and also to “ban autorickshaws from CBD of the city in a phased manner.”
These were among a series of directions issued by the KSPCB on August 25 after being pulled up by the Karnataka High Court for doing little to check pollution in the city over the past 30 years.
On Tuesday, KSPCB submitted the notifications issued in this regard to a Division Bench of the High Court, comprising Chief Justice D.H. Waghela and Justice Ashok B Hinchigeri. The Bench is hearing a PIL petition, which the court had initiated last year based on newspaper reports on high pollution levels in the city. It did not express its view on KSPCB’s directions.
At the previous hearing, the Bench had said that it was time for the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to take charge of the city as the KSPCB had “failed” to discharge its duties.
Earlier on August 2, the HC had observed that the KSPCB has been in ‘deep slumber’ for the past 30 years, surpassing the sleep of Kumbhakarna, a character from the Ramayana who used to wake up once in six months.
‘Directions ignored’KSPCB’s counsel Gururaj Joshi told the Bench that despite several reminders, the competent authorities failed to implement directions and advices issued from time to time for preventing air and noise pollution over the past 14 years.
Amicus curiae B.V. Vidyulatha said that there are many specific directions from the Supreme Court and the High Court to the State to check pollution, but implementation has remained only on paper.
Government counsel R. Devdas said that State authorities will cooperate with the KSPCB in ensuring that the city’s environment is protected.
While adjourning further hearing to September 16, the Bench directed the State government and its agencies to hold a meeting to chalk out a plan to implement directions issued by the KSPCB, while orally observing that Bangalore may become like a European country if all these directions are affectively implemented.
As it was pointed out that nine of the 12 emission checking centres at various depots of Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) are defective, the Bench saw the need for an independent agency to check emission levels of BMTC buses.