Bengaluru’s air pollution fund: only 37% utilized despite high pollution levels | Bengaluru News

Bengaluru: Karnataka, which has always complained about the Centre’s unfair decentralization of taxes, is now facing the allegation of under-utilisation of funds allocated to the Center under the National Clean Air Program (NCAP).
The program was launched in January 2019 by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MOEF&CC).
Despite an allocation of Rs 598 crore between 2019 and 2024 to take mitigation measures to reduce rising levels of air pollution in four cities including Bengaluru, the Karnataka government used only Rs 222 crore (37%). Bengaluru, ranked among the top 10 polluted cities of India, received Rs 541 crore, of which only Rs 199 crore (37%) has been utilized,
A source distribution study for Bengaluru found that road dust is the largest contributor to air pollution at 50-58%, followed by vehicle emissions (16-25%).
Of the Rs 199 crore spent, 72% was used to control and prevent road dust, followed by 14% on construction and demolition activities, 6.6% on vehicle emissions, 4% on biomass burning and 2.2% on awareness programs. The three other Karnataka cities chosen for the program are Davanagere, Hubballi-Dharwad and Kalaburagi.
Admitting its inability to fully utilize the sanctioned amount, the state government is said to have cited Covid-19 pandemic-induced restrictions, 2023 legislative assembly elections and 2024 parliamentary polls as reasons for the underutilization . In a detailed submission before the Southern Zone Bench of the National Green Tribunal, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) Regional Director J Chandra Babu said, “As per the feedback from the local bodies of these four cities in Karnataka, the Covid-19 restrictions in the initial years set a model of code of conduct due to the 2023 State Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in 2024 has affected progress in the use of funds.”
CPCB also said that utilization of funds under the NCAP program is the responsibility of local bodies, including BBMP, with regular follow-ups by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board to ensure compliance with the protocol under the national programme.
“It is not that the environment department has failed to utilize the allocated funds. We are just the conduit as the funds are given to the urban development department through us. In Bengaluru, BBMP is implementing the programme. I am aware that a few projects The agreement has been finalized and the funds will be used soon. Nevertheless, I will hold a meeting on Monday and seek information about the non-use of the funds,” said Eshwar Khandre, Minister of Forest, Environment and Ecology.
Karnataka better than many other states: CPCB
To tackle the rising levels of air pollution across India, the CPCB has listed 130 non-attainment and mega-cities across 24 states and union territories. Any city that exceeded the PM10 concentration of 60 µg/m3 for five consecutive years was classified as a non-attainment city (NAC), and four cities in Karnataka were considered NACs. The NCAP target is to reduce PM10 concentration in these cities by 40% by 2025-2026 from what it was in 2019-2020.
While Karnataka failed to fully utilize the allocated funds, CPCB noted that the state’s air quality standards are better than many others.