Greater Bengaluru Authority plans citys first Clean Air Zone in CBD to cut emissions by 2035

BENGALURU: The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) is developing Bengalurus first Clean Air Zone roadmap. It aims to implement a pilot in the Central Business District (CBD) to reduce particulate matter emissions by up to 90% and nitrogen oxide emissions by 70% by 2035, thereby making the CBD cleaner and healthier. The Clean Air Zone roadmap will cover a 5-km range including MG Road, Church Street, Brigade Road and Cubbon Park. Based on the response, GBA is aiming to scale this idea city-wide. A meeting was chaired by GBA Special Commissioner Preeti Gehlot, where representatives of C40 cities (a global network of mayors of the worlds leading cities that are united in action to confront the climate crisis) and others took part. Consultations were held related to drafting the roadmap and many key points were discussed. Discussions were held related to the baseline air quality and emission analysis. The representatives also discussed the public transport and electric bus integration, and also touched upon safer walking and cycling networks, which will help cut down emissions. The officials said they aim to monitor the air quality through the Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (AQMS) and carry out enforcement through the Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR). There were also discussions on the phased restriction of high-polluting vehicles. Special Commissioner Preethi Gehlot was not available for comments.