KSPCB mulls odd-even scheme for Bengaluru

BENGALURU: In order to bring down air pollution in Bengaluru and prevent a Delhi-like disaster, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) is looking at various options, including introduction of compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles and odd-even scheme.

Recently, Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy made a statement before the media that the government was thinking of introducing odd-even scheme in the city on the lines of Delhi.

“Yes, the odd-even scheme is something we will be looking forward to, but only after it is successful in Delhi,” said Lakshman, Chairman, KSPCB.

The KSPSB chairman said the vehicular emission is one of the major causes of increasing air pollution. Though with the introduction of metro rail corridors and flyovers, the traffic on the north-east corridor has smoothened and with it the level of pollution has also come down.

Lakshman elaborated that vehicular emission contributes to about 42% of the city’s pollution and the idle movement or the slow moving traffic was more dangerous. He said the average speed of the vehicles in the city is 10 km per hour.

However, environment experts in the city believe that though the odd-even would reduce air pollution, its enforcement will be a major challenge.

“It is one of the significant questions and it would undoubtedly reduce the emission level, but the number of cars in the city is increasing at a very high rate. Enforcement would be a concern for the government,” said Mahesh Kashyap, a consultant with Centre for Sustainable Development.

However, given the fact that Bengaluru has lesser number of vehicles that the national capital, Sumit Sharma, Associate Director of The Energy and Resources Institute, hoped odd-even would work in the city.

He told Deccan Chronicle that the odd-even scheme only solved 4% of the problem in Delhi but, “I am sure this will have a far larger impact in Bengaluru given the less number of vehicles here.”