BMTC told to submit proposal on converting diesel buses into CNG

The High Court of Karnataka on Friday directed Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) to submit a proposal on how the corporation would start converting all government-run buses into CNG (compressed natural gas) and LPG (liquid petroleum gas). 

A division bench comprising Chief Justice S K Mukherjee and Justice Ravi Malimath said that all the buses have to be converted to CNG, and asked BMTC to inform the court on how they would do it in a phased manner.

BMTC advocate Arun Shyam submitted a memo to the court seeking permission to purchase 323 buses as the bench had earlier passed an order to take the court into confidence before finalising the purchase of any diesel buses. The BMTC counsel submitted that 999 diesel buses have to be discontinued as they are in a bad shape. Steps will be taken to convert the buses into CNG in future, he said. 

The counsel sought two weeks time to submit the BMTC’s action plan on converting the buses into CNG. The petitioner, Vinay Shivanand Naik had contended that due to the air pollution, 36% of children in Bengaluru are experiencing major health problems and the lung capacity of 84% of children have been affected.

Plea dismissed

The High Court has dismissed a petition filed by senior IPS officer Sushant Mahapatra against the appointment of Om Prakash as Director General and Inspector General of Police.

A division bench of Justices Jayant Patel and B Sreenivase Gowda dismissed the petition after the state government submitted that the Karnataka Police Act was amended and that it had the powers to appoint the DG&IGP, the highest-ranking police officer. Mahapatra had argued in the petition that the government overlooked his seniority for the selection of the DG&IGP.

Ulsoor lake

The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board will monitor Ulsoor lake every month under the National Water Quality Monitoring Programme in an effort to prevent future fishkills, the government told the High Court on Friday.

The BBMP has built a wetland bund/spill weir to ensure sedimentation of stormwater. This apart, the BWSSB, the Fisheries Department and MEG will take steps to curb water pollution by checking the entry of sewage into the lake, the court was told.

Following the submission by government counsel Venkatesh Dodderi, a division bench of Chief Justice S K Mukherjee and Justice Ravi Malimath disposed of a petition on the fishkill in the lake.

The State Legal Services Authority had filed the petition, questioning the pollution of Ulsoor lake that led to fishkill in early May.