Bengaluru: Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dinesh Gundu Rao has written to Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy to permit electric vehicles (EVs) only for public transport system in Bengaluru. The move comes after the pollution levels in Bengaluru reached similar levels to some of the major cities in North India.

The Minister’s letter emphasised, “It was necessary for us to take action before Bengaluru becomes as notorious as Delhi-NCR for its pollution.”

The Health Minister stressed that only electric autos, cabs, taxis, goods carriers and solid waste collection vehicles must be permitted to operate in Bengaluru and added that Transport Department must only procure electric buses for intra-city transport.

Air pollution due to the use of vehicles running on conventional fuels is common and it is well-established that it has a direct adverse effect on public health. Due to high number of vehicles in Bengaluru, the pollution is high and due to the high population of the city, the pollution affects more people, said Gundu Rao who added that Bengaluru’s geography and weather conditions compound air pollution and stressed that everyone should wake up before Bengaluru becomes infamous for air pollution like Delhi.