A comprehensive climate action plan for Kolkata will soon be prepared with help from climate experts, said city mayor Firhad Hakim at Kolkata Press Club on June 5.
The mayor was speaking at Kolkata’s climate future: Searching for a solution, an event organised by Environment Governed Integrated Organisation in association with Prabha Khaitan Foundation and powered by The Telegraph Online My Kolkata.
Hakim, who is also the state transport minister, said the authorities were taking steps to run commercial vehicles on non-fossil power from 2030.
“KMC has its Solar and Climate Committee. We plan to include national-level experts in the committee to formulate a climate action plan for the city,” he added.
Highlighting the urgent need to reduce the city’s carbon footprint, the mayor said the state government had exempted registration fees and other taxes for electric vehicles.
State disaster management minister Javed Khan, who also attended the event organised on the occasion of World Environment Day, said his department was working in tandem with KMC to improve the city's response to any extreme weather event.
“Apart from floods and cyclones, the frequency of lightning has increased over the years mainly due to dust pollution,” he added.
Andalib Elias, deputy high commissioner of Bangladesh in Kolkata, rued at the event that developed countries were reluctant to contribute more to climate funds despite allegedly spending huge bucks to procure arms and ammunition.
“We have set up solar parks in different areas of the city to reduce the consumption of thermal power. But the project has been partially halted due to funds crunch,” said Debashish Kumar, mayor-in-council at KMC.
Pointing out the link between climate risks in the Sundarbans and the city, State Pollution Control Board (PCB) chairman Kalyan Rudra said sudden bursts of high-intensity rainfall within a short span had become a key problem for the city.
PCB member-secretary Rajesh Kumar claimed that the industries have to mandatorily green one-third of their area as well as to use solar power.
“This has been a unique meeting. It was heartening to find the mayor sitting through the entire stretch of the three-hour meeting,” said Dulal Bose, former sheriff of Kolkata on behalf of the organisers.
