After failing to get its earlier 44-point action plan for Bengaluru approved, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has submitted a revised plan. However, those who have compared the two plans say while few changes have been made, some other deadlines have been extended.
The KSPCB had to bring out the plan following a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order to make action plans for four ‘non-attainment cities’ — urban areas with air quality worse than prescribed standards, which were Bengaluru, Hubballi–Dharwad, Davangere, and Kalaburagi.
KSPCB officials had said that the plan for Bengaluru had not been approved as it was ‘sketchy’ and needed details, especially regarding time frames for the measures mentioned. The board then revised the plan as advised by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
For example, the deadline for implementing the restriction on use of two stroke vehicles in phased manner in Bengaluru is now March 2020, when in the earlier plan, it was December 2019. Similarly, executing steps to promote battery-operated vehicles has also been pushed to March 2020 from the earlier December 2019 deadline.
Among other measures pushed to March 2020 are induction of electric buses in a phased manner in Bengaluru city, establishing truck terminals on all major highways leading to Bengaluru in a phased manner, creating separate bus bays in the new BDA layouts and private layouts, construction of flyovers/underpasses at congested/ high traffic intersections in BBMP areas. The plan to construct more multi-level vehicle parking facilities has been pushed to March 2022 from December 2019.
