By Express News Service

BENGALURU: The state government is launching a ‘Less Traffic Day’ campaign from February next year to contain air and noise pollution levels in the city by encouraging people to take public transport, Transport Minister H M Revanna said.

Speaking to media persons here on Wednesday, the minister said that from February 2018, every second Sunday of the month people should avoid taking out their private vehicles and travel by public transport. However, there will be no restrictions on operations of cabs, autorickshaws and electric vehicles on those days.

“We have to take measures to contain air pollution levels in the city. With 72 lakh vehicles in Bengaluru, we may have to face a Delhi-like situation in future. We request people not to take their vehicles out one day in a month, unless in unavoidable circumstances,’’ the minister said. “We expect around 65 lakh vehicles to stay off the roads on ‘Less Traffic Day’,’’ he added.

On Wednesday, Revanna held a meeting with officials from the Transport, Home, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) and other departments to discuss measures to be taken to encourage people to be part of the campaign. “We will try to do everything that is possible, including increasing frequency of Metro trains and deploying more BMTC buses on that day. That apart, we will also look into the possibility of giving some concessions on tickets,’’ he said.

The government is keen to turn it into a public movement and there is no plan to bring in a law to force people to take public transport during the campaign, he said.

Cases booked against pvt vehicles

The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and Regional Transport Office seized 67 private vehicles, including a private bus and a minibus that were unauthorisedly carrying passengers in the city limits on Monday and Tuesday, according to a release.