PATIALA: Sanjeev Bittu, Mayor, Patiala Municipal Corporation, announced ‘No Car’ day for the city and urged people to avoid using cars for the rest of the day. Bittu, along with his colleagues, travelled to the corporation office on bicycles and also requested people of the area to follow suit.
A report by the Centre for Science and Environment released in March this year, stated that rising air pollution in Punjab was the cause of 18.8 per cent of total fatalities in Punjab in 2019. Moreover, the state incurred losses worth US$1148 million (1.49 per cent of the state’s GDP) due to air pollution in 2019.
Bittu, while talking to Team Urban Update, said that in the present times, it is important to send correct message for the upcoming and present generations in order to sensitise them regarding pollution and its effects. He added that owing to the huge population of the country and lack of accessible lands, it is important that people practice and encourage such events in future.