Church Street turns weekend bliss for walkers
UK-Karnataka ‘Clean Air Street’ initiative says ‘nyet’ to motor vehicles
BENGALURU:
Starting Saturday, Bengaluru’s tony Church Street will get a green makeover under the moniker ‘Clean Air Street’, courtesy a joint initiative of the UK’s ‘Catapult’ network and Karnataka’s Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT). Pedestrians can rejoice as the entire street will be closed to motor vehicles every weekend, between 12 pm on Saturday and 12 am on Sunday, from November 7 to February 2021.
While businesses on Church Street will be allowed to extend their seating outdoors to enable safe social distancing for patrons, the area will also feature demos on clean air innovations.
The Indian Institute of Science, one of the partners in the initiative, as well as the UK’s Energy Systems ‘Catapult’ and Connected Places ‘Catapult’, will study the impact of the initiative on the area’s air quality and will also seek public feedback through electric vehicle test rides.
Walking the talk
Speaking on the occasion, MoS for South Asia and the Commonwealth Lord (Tariq) Ahmad said, “The launch of the Clean Air Street initiative is an example of India’s forward movement on climate action. The UK, as COP26 President, is committed to joining forces with all countries, civil society, business and individuals to inspire action ahead of the conference in November 2021. We owe it to our children to use this tough year to pause, reflect and build back better.”
British Deputy High Commissioner for Karnataka and Kerala, Jeremy Pilmore-Bedford, said, “The launch of the Clean Air Street initiative in Bengaluru could not have come at a more important time. The Covid lockdowns here and across the globe made us all appreciate the importance and beauty of clean air and skies. I am confident that UK-Karnataka collaboration on climate action can deliver substantial progress towards reducing emissions.”
Minister of State @FCDOGovUK @tariqahmadbt & @CMofKarnataka @BSYBJP inaugurate 🇬🇧🇮🇳 Clean Air Street initiative in Bengaluru.
— UK in Bengaluru 🇬🇧 🇮🇳 (@UKinBengaluru) November 7, 2020
City action is vital in the fight against #climatechange.#Together 🌎, let us protect our #environment for future generations. 🌲🌳#ClimateAction pic.twitter.com/xLhtjX9cYc
Commissioner for the Directorate of Urban and Land Transport, V. Manjula (IAS), said, “This is a fantastic opportunity to prove that targeted activities to reduce motor vehicle traffic can help reduce pollution, improve quality of life and be beneficial to local businesses.”
The Clean Air Street initiative is part of a wider programme that is being rolled out in phases across Bengaluru. It is funded by the UK government’s Newton Fund and delivered by Energy Systems, Connected Places and Satellite Applications ‘Catapults’, with matched resources from partners in India.
Newton-Bhabha incubator
The Newton Fund in India, called the Newton-Bhabha partnership after Sir Isaac Newton and Homi Jehangir Bhabha and established in 2014, is a major initiative for facilitating research and innovation collaborations between the two countries.
As part of the initiative, 10 small and medium enterprises from the UK and India will showcase their innovations on Chruch Street. They are: Airhead, Altigreen, Ambee, Atmospheric Sensors, BuymyEV, Elon Motors, Greendzine, JAL Technologies, Mastie Bikes and Transvahan.
Other partners in the Clean Air Street initiative include BBMP, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Bengaluru, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), the Bengaluru Traffic Police, Shell’s E4 scale-track programme, and Urban Morph.
ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ @BSYBJP ರವರು ‘ಚರ್ಚ್ ಸ್ಟ್ರೀಟ್ ಫಸ್ಟ್’ – ಭಾರತದ ಮೊಟ್ಟಮೊದಲ ಸ್ವಚ್ಚವಾಯು ಸ್ಟ್ರೀಟ್ ಟೆಸ್ಟ್ ಬೆಡ್ ಅನ್ನು ನಗರದ ಚರ್ಚ್ ಸ್ಟ್ರೀಟ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ ಇಂದು ಉದ್ಘಾಟಿಸಿದರು.
— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) November 7, 2020
ನಗರಾಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿ ಸಚಿವ ಭೈರತಿ ಬಸವರಾಜ, ಶಾಸಕ @mlanaharis, ಬಿಬಿಎಂಪಿ ಆಡಳಿತಾಧಿಕಾರಿ ಗೌರವ್ ಗುಪ್ತಾ ಮತ್ತಿತರರು ಈ ಸಂದರ್ಭದಲ್ಲಿ ಉಪಸ್ಥಿತರಿದ್ದರು. pic.twitter.com/Ir8jzyt454
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