KSPCB to evaluate city action plans for improving Bengaluru’s air quality based on latest studies
Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) on Friday said they will be analyzing their city action plans using two recent air pollution source assessment studies in their efforts to improve air quality across the state.
While Bengaluru's deteriorating air quality is a cause for concern, studies released by the Center for Study of Science, Technology, and Policy (CSTEP) have revealed that measures targeted at polluting sources can help lower pollution levels.
According to CSTEP’s research released earlier this year, the transportation industry is the largest source (40–51%) of particulate matter, followed by road dust resuspension (17–51%). Construction dust, household gasoline, and diesel generators are among the other polluting industries.
Air has suspended particulate matter (PM) of different sizes. Many of these are a complex mixture of dust, pollen, soot, and smoke and they are hazardous. Of this, PM 2.5 is the smaller kind, with a diameter, of not more than 2.5 micrometers (fine particles). PM2.5 is considered to have a very significant health impact as it can stay in the air for days or weeks, and is small enough to invade the lung airways.
The studies, titled "Emission Inventory and Pollution Reduction Strategies for Bengaluru" and "Identification of Polluting Sources for Bengaluru," identified polluting sources/activities or hotspots for the city, which has been a major concern for air pollution regulators and policymakers.
On Friday, April 29, 2022, CSTEP held data dissemination and capacity building event for over 50 Karnataka government officials at Shangri-La, Bengaluru, where findings of the two studies were shared to ensure the implementation of solutions from the studies as well as empower government officials to make informed decisions.
At the workshop, Dr Shanth A. Thimmaiah, Chairman, KSPCB reflected on the need for micro action plans that will help pollution control boards to take effective, result-oriented action toward improving air quality. “The event is an opportunity to evaluate our work. CSTEP’s reports will be used as a base for studying and making clean air action plans for three other non-attainment cities through a Plan-Do-Check-Act approach,” he said.
Shri Vijay Mohan Raj, IFS, Principal Secretary, Ecology and Environment Department, Government of Karnataka, highlighted the need for air guilt—the guilt that comes from knowing that we are contributing to air pollution (and how)—to be felt by all and drive our actions. “To do this, data needs to be presented in simple formats that could be understood even by children. I hope that such reports can bring about last-mile changes to improve air quality,” he said.
CSTEP’s study findings revealed that Bengaluru can see possible concentration reductions of approximately 26.5%, ~13.5%, and ~9.6%, respectively, for high-, medium-, and low-emission reduction scenarios (measures clubbed with varying levels of compliance) for both PM10 and PM2.5 by 2024.
Key measures considered under the scenarios were improvement in public transportation infrastructure, diesel particulate filter installation in trucks, and a strict blanket ban on open waste burning. “Considering Bengaluru’s status as a non-attainment city, conducting a scientific assessment through source apportionment and emission inventory was crucial towards preparing efficient strategies,” said Dr. Pratima Singh, Research Scientist at CSTEP who led the study.
CSTEP—as an Institute of Repute under the National Clean Air Programme—is working with the KSPCB and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to help implement the recommendations. By training state government officials to use scientific methods to assess air quality through this event, CSTEP hopes to enhance the quality and effectiveness of policy decisions.
Ms Puja Tewary, India Coordinator, Climate and Environment Programs, Bloomberg Philanthropies, said, “Scientific evidence highlighted in the report could inform both line departments and KSPCB in preparing city micro action plans.” She reiterated that mutual collaborations among organizations are essential.
A ‘meaningful’ action plan could be prepared as a result of CSTEP’s studies, said Shri Gaurav Gupta, IAS, Chief Commissioner, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). “The studies highlight vehicular pollution and road dust as the main issues for Bengaluru. We are working on these sectors. Bengaluru is among the fastest-growing cities, and this is the main reason for air pollution,” he added.
Readers can access the study reports at https://cstep.in/publications.php
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.
Single higher education regulator bill tabled in LS; Oppn flags ‘centralisation,' JPC likely
New Delhi: A bill to set up a 13-member body to regulate institutions of higher education was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, which seeks to establish an overarching higher education commission along with three councils for regulation, accreditation, and ensuring academic standards for universities and higher education institutions in India.
Meanwhile, the move drew strong opposition, with members warning that it could weaken institutional autonomy and result in excessive centralisation of higher education in India.
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, earlier known as the Higher Education Council of India (HECI) Bill, has been introduced in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The proposed legislation seeks to merge three existing regulatory bodies, the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), into a single unified body called the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan.
At present, the UGC regulates non-technical higher education institutions, the AICTE oversees technical education, and the NCTE governs teacher education in India.
Under the proposed framework, the new commission will function through three separate councils responsible for regulation, accreditation, and the maintenance of academic standards across universities and higher education institutions in the country.
According to the Bill, the present challenges faced by higher educational institutions due to the multiplicity of regulators having non-harmonised regulatory approval protocols will be done away with.
The higher education commission, which will be headed by a chairperson appointed by the President of India, will cover all central universities and colleges under it, institutes of national importance functioning under the administrative purview of the Ministry of Education, including IITs, NITs, IISc, IISERs, IIMs, and IIITs.
At present, IITs and IIMs are not regulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Government to refer bill to JPC; Oppn slams it
The government has expressed its willingness to refer it to a joint committee after several members of the Lok Sabha expressed strong opposition to the Bill, stating that they were not given time to study its provisions.
Responding to the opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government intends to refer the Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed examination.
Congress Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari warned that the Bill could result in “excessive centralisation” of higher education. He argued that the proposed law violates the constitutional division of legislative powers between the Union and the states.
According to him, the Bill goes beyond setting academic standards and intrudes into areas such as administration, affiliation, and the establishment and closure of university campuses. These matters, he said, fall under Entry 25 of the Concurrent List and Entry 32 of the State List, which cover the incorporation and regulation of state universities.
Tewari further stated that the Bill suffers from “excessive delegation of legislative power” to the proposed commission. He pointed out that crucial aspects such as accreditation frameworks, degree-granting powers, penalties, institutional autonomy, and even the supersession of institutions are left to be decided through rules, regulations, and executive directions. He argued that this amounts to a violation of established constitutional principles governing delegated legislation.
Under the Bill, the regulatory council will have the power to impose heavy penalties on higher education institutions for violating provisions of the Act or related rules. Penalties range from ₹10 lakh to ₹75 lakh for repeated violations, while establishing an institution without approval from the commission or the state government could attract a fine of up to ₹2 crore.
Concerns were also raised by members from southern states over the Hindi nomenclature of the Bill. N.K. Premachandran, an MP from the Revolutionary Socialist Party representing Kollam in Kerala, said even the name of the Bill was difficult to pronounce.
He pointed out that under Article 348 of the Constitution, the text of any Bill introduced in Parliament must be in English unless Parliament decides otherwise.
DMK MP T.M. Selvaganapathy also criticised the government for naming laws and schemes only in Hindi. He said the Constitution clearly mandates that the nomenclature of a Bill should be in English so that citizens across the country can understand its intent.
Congress MP S. Jothimani from Tamil Nadu’s Karur constituency described the Bill as another attempt to impose Hindi and termed it “an attack on federalism.”
_vb_22.jpeg)
