Transport commissioner for more electric vehicles in State

Transport Commissioner K Amaranarayana on Friday urged the members of the industry to adopt more electric vehicles so that the State could meet its target for National Electric Vehicles’ Mission.

Speaking at a session on “Road Safety and Pollution” organised by the Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) here, he said: “We are also mulling over installing solar-powered charging points which will be free for people to use. The charging points will come up around the Vidhana Soudha initially, if the project is approved.”

He said by 2015, the City will have 50 lakh vehicles and the population of Bangalore is over one crore already, and going by the official records, 68 per cent of Bangaloreans own and ride two-wheelers. There is a 63.87 per cent increase in vehicular population between 2005 and 2010 (34.9 lakh vehicles registered) and there will be a 50 per cent increase in the next five years (52.35 lakh).

It is astonishing to note that as per the estimates, between 2015-20, there will be a record total of 78.5 lakh registered vehicles and 1.17 crore vehicles by 2025.

Laying stress on the ill-effects of traffic and vehicular density on health, he said that about 63.3 per cent urban citizens in State suffer from upper respiratory symptoms and 62.2 per cent from lower respiratory symptoms while 4.4 per cent people suffer from asthma, 18.4 per cent from eye irritation and 76.3 per cent from headaches, due to pollution.

“If only one per cent of 10.21 lakh light motor vehicles including two, three and four-wheelers are converted to green automobiles, there is an estimated saving of USD 1.17 lakh worth crude oil for the City in a day. We must introduce solar bunks to charge solar-powered vehicles and exempt such cars from taxation as an incentive to people,” he said.

He said the
Transport Department and the Traffic police were serious about tackling the issue of increasing traffic violations in the City.
According to the Commissioner, the Traffic police has collected Rs 4.50 crore as fine for traffic violations in 2013.
“We have to make punishment more strict. Even as we wait for the amendment which will ncrease fines, we have started suspension / cancellation of licenses for a few categories of offences. Till date we have cancelled / suspended 5,200 licences in the City and around 200 applications are pending before us,” he said.

The department has also approached the State Pollution Control Board and asked them to monitor ambient air quality at several points across the City, instead of the limited monitoring points that exist currently.