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Dirty diesel: Mysore Road most polluted

Tumkuru Road and Ballari Road to become the most polluted road in the city.

Bengaluru: The latest data on pollution levels in the city has thrown up some surprises: Mysuru Road has overtaken busy roads like Tumkuru Road and Ballari Road to become the most polluted road in the city thanks to the many diesel-run heavy vehicles that regularly use it. And South West Bengaluru is the most heavily polluted zone in the city.

The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has arrived at these conclusions following its drive to check vehicle emission levels that kicked off on June 21 from the Central Silk Board Junction and is slated to conclude on Saturday. The drive has thrown up some unexpected results as it was believed until now that the busy Central Silk Board Junction was the most polluted owing to its thick vehicle density.

Explaining the drive, KSPCB chairman, Lakshman, says, “Unlike at the Central Silk Board Junction or Tumkuru Road, we found that most of the vehicles on Mysuru Road not only run on diesel, but are also very old and don’t comply with any of the standards specified by the transport department.”

So far, the KSPCB has checked vehicles on Old Madras Road, Mysuru Road, Tumukuru Road and Byppanahalli ,focusing mainly on public transport vehicles like BMTC buses, trucks, goods carriers, autos and mini trucks.

Interestingly, while 70 per cent of the diesel vehicles had not taken emission tests or bothered to follow the norms, only 10 per cent of BMTC buses were old and failed to meet the board’s standards.

“It may sound surprising, but the BMTC’s contribution to the city’s pollution levels is not very high,” adds Mr Lakshman. The KSPCB , which has also concluded that South West Bengaluru is heavily polluted, will soon release a zonal-wise report announcing the details of the study.

Another drive to check all government vehicles used by bureaucrats to make sure they are complying with emission standards specified by the transport department is slated to kick off from Tuesday.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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