75 electric buses from Switch Mobility hit Bengaluru city roads
Bengaluru, Aug 14: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday flagged off 75 "Switch EiV 12 buses" to cater to the needs of the people in Bengaluru.
Switch Mobility Ltd's "new technologically advanced" electric buses are a part of the 300-strong electric bus order and would be inducted into the fleet of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC).
Switch Mobility, the next-generation carbon-neutral electric bus and light commercial vehicle company, would supply, operate and maintain the 300 buses, the company said in a release.
"In order to cater to these needs, Switch India launched the Switch EiV 12 platform in June 2022 and today we are delighted to begin initial deliveries of our Switch EiV buses to BMTC as part of our 300-strong electric bus order," said Mahesh Babu, Chief Executive Officer, Switch India and Chief Operating Officer of Switch Mobility Ltd.
The buses would play a vital role in reducing carbon footprint in the city - a reduction of over 14,500 tonnes of CO2 per year equivalent to planting 87,000 trees, he said.
The buses are equipped with a new-generation, highly efficient, modular batteries with advanced lithium-ion NMC chemistry, specially formulated for the Indian market and climatic conditions, the company said.
The modular batteries increase the capacity per battery cell for the same weight enabling a higher range of kilometres.
ಇಂದು ವಿಧಾನಸೌಧದ ಮುಂಭಾಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ಮಹಾನಗರ ಸಾರಿಗೆ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆ ವತಿಯಿಂದ 75 ವಿದ್ಯುತ್ ಚಾಲಿತ ಬಸ್ ಗಳಗೆ ಹಸಿರು ನಿಶಾನೆ ತೋರಿಸುವ ಮೂಲಕ ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ಸೇವೆಗೆ ಸಮರ್ಪಿಸಲಾಯಿತು.#BMTCEVBus #EVBus #ElectrinicVehicle #BMTC #Bangalore pic.twitter.com/KKqgAOtTOA
— Basavaraj S Bommai (@BSBommai) August 14, 2022
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11k litres of milk poured into Narmada river after religious event; environmentalists see red
Sehore (PTI): Around 11,000 litres of milk were poured into Narmada river, often called the lifeline of Madhya Pradesh, in Sehore district on the culmination of a 21-day religious event as part of a sanctification ritual, prompting environmentalists to flag its negative impact on the ecosystem.
The event concluded at Satdev village in Bherunda area, located about 90 km from the district headquarters, with a 'mahayagna' on Wednesday.
The milk was offered to the river as part of rituals and prayers for the purity of the waters, the well-being of pilgrims and prosperity, organisers said.
The milk was brought in tankers to the riverbank and later poured into the flowing water amid chanting of mantras in the presence of a crowd of devotees.
However, environmentalists raised concerns over the practice, warning of its potential ecological impact.
"Such large quantities of organic matter can deplete dissolved oxygen in water, adversely affecting the river ecosystem. These impact local communities dependent on the river for drinking water and threaten aquatic life as well as domestic animals," noted environmentalist and wildlife activist Ajay Dube said.
Religious offerings should be symbolic and mindful, he asserted.
Renowned environmentalist Subhash Pandey said 11,000 litres of milk acts as a significant organic pollutant.
"It is highly oxygen-demanding and can lead to oxygen depletion, aquatic mortality, eutrophication (process of plants growing on river surface) and loss of potability. These effects are predictable from dairy-effluent chemistry and have been documented in similar incidents worldwide," Pandey pointed out.
Narmada originates at Amarkantak in the state and traverses 1,312 km westward to Maharashtra and Gujarat, emptying into the Arabian Sea via the Gulf of Cambay.
It is the largest west-flowing river in the peninsula, passing through a rift valley, and acts as a crucial water source for irrigation in MP, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
