Indore to Observe 'No Car Day' on Sep 22; Mayor Asks Residents to Make it a Success

Indore: Madhya Pradesh 's commercial capital Indore will observe 'no car day' on September 22, Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava said on Friday and urged citizens to use other environment-friendly modes of transport to make the move a success.

Last year on 'no car day', 12 per cent cars in the city were off the roads, leading to 80,000 litres of fuel being saved, dip in sulphur monoxide emissions by 5.5 per cent and overall air pollution by 18 per cent, Bhargava said.

"Residents should use cycles, e-rickshaws and public transport instead of to make the initiative a success like last year," he said.

As on January 2023, the number of registered vehicles in Indore stood at 21,16,300, including 3,38,353 cars. The figures were provided in the assembly in March last year by then state transport minister Govind Singh Rajput.

As per officials, some 400,000 cars, including those from outside, ply in the city every day.

According to a study by Clean Air Catalyst, a global alliance working to improve air quality, vehicular pollution and dust flying on the roads have a 70 per cent share in deteriorating air quality in Indore.

According to Dr Prakash Doraiswamy, senior air quality scientist at Clean Air Catalyst, "We are seeing vehicular smoke worsening air quality in the city. Participating in initiatives like No Car Day will give us an opportunity to use alternative modes of transport and reduce air pollution." Indore has been the country cleanest city for several years now as per the Union government's Swachh Survekshan.

With PTI Inputs