Dust kicked up by vehicles on a main road in Bengaluru on October 14, 2025. | Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR
The South Zone Bench of the National Green Tribunal in Chennai ordered all five southern states and the Union Territory of Puducherry to ensure “strict and time-bound implementation” of their State Action Plans (SAPs) under the National Clean Air Program (NCAP), in a joint judgment that flagged persistent particulate pollution across the region and warned that continued underutilization of clean air funds could attract compensation for life environment.
The tribunal noted that Karnataka received ₹ 597.54 crore between 2019-20 and 2023-24, with Bengaluru alone receiving ₹ 541.1 crore, but had utilized only 13% by October 2024. A subsequent affidavit submitted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate announced that it had released a total of 76% of the funds. 2025-26 were used up to September 2025. However, Bencht said more than 86% of the funds used went to road dust control, only 6.6% to vehicle emissions and 4.1% to biomass burning – which it described as “disproportionate expenditure” that needed to be “rationalised”.
Published – 02 May 2026 16:25 IST
