Mangaluru : Anti Pollution Drive (APD), a Mangaluru-based non-profit organisation, has urged the district administration, RTO, Police Department, Mangaluru City Corporation and other civic bodies as well as the citizens to heed the alarm of increase in vehicular congestion and air pollution and ensure remedial measures.

APD’s Abdulla A Rehman said the organisation is distressed to caution that Mangaluru city too is headed in the direction of major cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru in terms of vehicular congestion and pollution.

Traffic congestion continues to be a headache for vehicle users despite the widening and four-laning of all major roads. The road development works have not provided any relief to common people. The pollution, caused by the exhaust systems of the increasing number of vehicles, is leading to a steady increase in the number of health hazards.

Asthma is increasing in children and respiratory problems are on the rise among adults. Mangaluru too will soon have to face a Delhi like situation if no immediate action is taken, Rehman observed.

To overcome the problem, the APD has suggested introduction of car pooling system. The government and the RTO should give special incentives or recognition to college and corporate transport systems. The authorities should accord priority to the maintenance of public vehicles, he said.

Many vehicles emit high levels of smoke though they have mandatory pollution certificates. Periodical pollution certification is mandatory. But there is no mechanism for verifying the certificates and certification standards of the certifying agencies. Hence, a verification mechanism is required, Rehman said.

He said that a pollution monitoring station should be established in the city. The only station in the region is located at Baikampady. A pollution monitoring should be established to monitor pollution, analyse and report on the developments in the city, he demanded.

Pollution control should be linked into the proposed Mangaluru Smart City project and all plans and proposed developments should factor pollution control too, Rehman said.