With various studies indicating that the situation is alarming, the issue of having an exclusive pollution control board for Bengaluru was discussed in the legislative council during the recent Belagavi legislature session. Minister for forests and environment B Ramanath Rai told the House that the government will explore the possibility and look into the legal aspects of the proposal.

"It is a serious issue that we discussed in the council. While our government is ready to do whatever it takes to control and mitigate pollution in Bengaluru, I think we need to draw up an effective roadmap to implement the proposal of having a separate pollution control board," Rai told TOI.

Former BBMP mayor and Congress member P R Ramesh, who raised the issue in the council, said it is unprecedented to have an exclusive pollution control board for the city, but it can be achieved by political will and concerted efforts by the state and Centre.

"We know that no city has its own pollution control board as yet. But it is the need of the hour and the states and Centre should wake up to the requirement of having a modern strategy to control pollution in megacities such as Bengaluru, Mumbai and Chennai," said Ramesh.

Citing the 74th Constitution Amendment Act, 1992, that deals with the powers, authorities and responsibility of municipalities, Ramesh said the Twelfth Schedule of the Constitution provides powers to states to set up pollution control bodies and impart them the status of a local body.

"The Twelfth Schedule talks about eight functions of municipalities that include urban forestry and protection of the environment. It is just a misconception of people that cities cannot have pollution control boards for them alone. On the other hand, special focus and attention is necessary for burgeoning cities like Bengaluru," Ramesh said.

He said he would write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Siddaramaiah, as he felt that tackling pollution calls for the states and Centre coming together.

At present, only New Delhi NCR has a dedicated pollution control body, Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), and no other city has this privilege. The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) set up in 1974 covers the entire state.

"Having a separate pollution control board for Bengaluru makes sense, given that pollution in the city accounts for more than 50% of the state and more than 40% of industries are located in and around the city," said Dr Balagangadhara, member-engineer of KSPCB.

MASTER PLAN FANS WORRIES

Findings of the draft Revised Master Plan-2031 recently published by the Bangalore Urban Development Authority (BDA) recently, has only added to the concerns as it predicts that the city's population would grow by 124.4% to touch 2 crore by 2031. At present, the city has more than 70lakh vehicles and the number is expected to cross the 1-crore mark by 2022.

"The government should look at decentralized and community-based pollution control to preserve deterioration and water quality in mega cities," said Prof V Jagannatha, scientist and founder-director, Environmental Management & Policy Research Institute (EMPRI).

Several domain experts, however, are sceptical about the legal standing of the proposal to set up a city-oriented pollution control board, considering the issue is governed by central legislation such as the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act and the Environment (Protection) Act.

"It takes a piece of legislation passed by Parliament to set up another pollution board, and this is not so simple," said a senior official at KSPCB.

G V Ranga Rao, member secretary of KSPCB, said the pollution control board was doing well with the present dispensation and the proposal of a dedicated body for the city needs to be carefully scrutinized. "It is a policy matter to be dealt with at the government level, let us leave this to the government," said Rao.