The Karnataka government’s move is intended to pacify the opposition to the project after it emerged that more than 3700 trees will be cut.
The Karnataka government plans to pacify the opposition to the proposed elevated corridor by installing open-air purifiers and carbon absorbent machines along the 102-km long network. “These are not the regular air purifiers or carbon-absorbing machines, but they are of high capacity and advanced machines that will absorb SPM and other major pollutants present in the air. These machines will be much stronger and advanced than what has already been installed in the city as part of a pilot project,”, KS Krishna Reddy, Secretary, PWD, told Deccan Chronicle. Authorities plan to install 30 air purifiers in the North-South corridor and have already piloted one in Hudson Circle in the city. The Karnataka Road Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL), which is implementing the project, came under criticism in March this year when it emerged that more than 3700 trees will be cut for the project including in the iconic Cubbon Park area. Activists and residents held a protest against the project following which Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy promised to hold a public consultation meeting. However, activists in the city are questioning the logic of installing air purifiers after cutting trees. “It is not fair to cut trees and then install air purifiers. They are saying the elevated corridor project will reduce traffic, but if the same investment is made on public transport, most of the problem will be solved,” Vinay Sreenivasa, a Bengaluru-based activist told The New Indian Express. The Karnataka High Court has currently stayed construction work on the project till the hearing over a case related to the Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC) is completed. The next hearing in the case is on June 3.
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