Pune to Implement India's First Low Emission Zone (LEZ)

Key facts

• Pune will institutionalise India's first Low Emission Zone (LEZ) in the Shivajinagar area of its central business district.
• The initiative is supported by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) India under Maharashtra’s 2021 Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy and aligns with the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
• The proposed LEZ in Pune covers a 14.5 sq km zone from Shivajinagar in the north to Swargate in the south, and from SB Road in the west to East Street in the east, restricting BS-III and older vehicles.
• Pimpri-Chinchwad is planning a city-wide initiative under its Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
• Mathura-Vrindavan aims to restrict an 11-km stretch of Parikrama Marg to only electric vehicles and pedestrians by Diwali.
• Varanasi will allow only e-golf carts and pedestrians on the 4-km temple corridor stretch between Maidagin and the main temple.
• Andhra Pradesh is developing Clean Air Zones (CAZs) around hospitals, educational institutions, and marketplaces in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada.
• The Andhra Pradesh government has allocated ₹50 crore to five cities under its new EV policy to establish zero-emission zones and transition city bus fleets to electric vehicles.
• The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) India research indicates that LEZs can reduce emission loads by 85% for nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 50% for carbon monoxide.