Bengaluru among 14 global cities to clean toxic air
Bengaluru, July 31: India's tech hub Bengaluru on Tuesday joined 13 other cities, including London, to clean up toxic air and check pollution in urban areas the world over.
Hosting the first meeting of the C40 Air Quality Network, Bengaluru brought experts and policymakers from 13 other cities from the world over to find solutions to the threat of toxic air pollution.
"Formed when London Mayor Sadiq Khan visited India in December last year, the Network enabled leaders to share information and work together to develop plans for how each city will clean up its toxic air," an official statement said.
The C40 Cities is an organisation of 96 global cities to fight climate change and work towards a sustainable future, while the C40 Air Quality Network, a body of upto 20 global cities formed in December last year, aims to develop solutions for air pollution, and is co-chaired by Khan and Bengaluru Mayor Sampath Raj.
The 13 cities that were part of the meeting were Berlin, Chennai, Dar-es-Salaam, Delhi, Johannesburg, Kolkata, London, Los Angeles, Portland, Quito, Salvador, Tel Aviv and Warsaw.
"The discussions and knowledge sharing on how other cities have dealt with air quality challenges is beneficial," Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said on the occasion.
As part of the Network, the global cities sign the 'clean bus' and 'fossil fuel-free streets' declarations, thereby relying on low-emission vehicles that run on electric power instead of traditional fuels like petrol and diesel, that contribute to high emissions.
Even as Bengaluru is implementing projects promoting the use of electric vehicles and plans to have an all-electric bus fleet in the city by 2030, Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara said the government is committed to implement an air quality management plan for the capital.
"Based on the best practices we can learn from the forum, I commit my support in implementing a robust air quality management plan for Bengaluru by providing both financial and governance resources," said Parameshwara, who also holds the portfolio of Bengaluru Development Minister.
An estimated seven million people die prematurely each year due to air pollution, according to the World Health Organisation.
In 2016, there were over 1.1 million early deaths in India and over 40,000 in Britain due to air pollution, statement from the Network said.
London Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy Shirley Rodrigues, Bengaluru civic body commissioner N. Manjunatha Prasad and air quality researchers and experts from the state were also present.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Delhi court acquits husband, in-laws in dowry death case
New Delhi (PTI): A Delhi court has acquitted a man and his parents in a dowry death case, saying the prosecution failed to establish allegations of cruelty or dowry harassment against them.
Additional Sessions Judge Deepak Wason acquitted Kartik Sharma, his father Ravi Dutt Sharma, and his mother Veena Sharma in the case of Shivali Sharma, who died by suicide in March 2023.
The accused were facing trial under Sections 498A (cruelty by husband or relatives) and 304B (dowry death) of the IPC.
In the April 1 order, the court said, “There is nothing on record to establish the culpability of the accused persons in the commission of the offences charged against them. The prosecution has failed to prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt.”
It held that while the death was unnatural and occurred within seven years of marriage, the key elements of dowry death, particularly proof of harassment connected to dowry demands, remained unproven.
According to the prosecution, the deceased's family alleged she was subjected to harassment and repeated dowry demands, including cash and a vehicle, which allegedly drove her to commit suicide.
The police registered the FIR after her parents made statements before an executive magistrate.
However, during the trial, key prosecution witnesses, including the deceased's mother, father, brother, uncle and grandmother, did not support the allegations in the court.
They consistently stated that Shivali was living a "peaceful and happy" married life and denied any dowry demand or harassment by the accused.
The witnesses further attributed her death to depression caused by her child's serious medical condition.
The court noted that the testimonies of close relatives, considered the most material witnesses, revealed no evidence of cruelty or dowry-related harassment “soon before her death,” a crucial requirement to establish an offence under Section 304B IPC.
The court observed that the medical evidence confirmed death due to asphyxia caused by hanging.
Giving the benefit of the doubt, the court said this alone was insufficient to implicate the accused without corroborative evidence of cruelty.
